Iran is under pressure to stop its nuclear enrichment programme [EPA]

The "written response" was handed to EU officials in Brussles on Tuesday, according to Iran's Fars news agency, but the message is thought to avoid mention of a freeze on Iran's nuclear work.

"The letter does not mention the freeze-for-freeze issue," the Reuters news agency quoted a senior Iranian official as saying.

The freeze is a step Western powers have demanded if Iran is to avoid more UN sanctions.

"Iran's position hasn't really changed as far as any suspension of its nuclear centrifuge activity is concerned," Elahe Mohtasham, a nuclear specialist from the Foreign Policy Centre in London, said.

"The best bet - in terms of the interests of the West - is to start negotaitons without any precondiditions ... and then in the course of negotations maybe we will be able to get more concessions from Iran," she said.

"Sanctions haven't worked and are very unlikely to work. Any further sanctions would really increase the price of oil and wouldn't benefit the world economy."

Deadline passed

The UK had warned that a lack of a positive answer from Tehran by the end of Tuesday would prompt the six powers - Britain, China, France, Russia, the US and Germany - involved in the negotiations to ask the UN Security Council to take further punitive measures.

The new deadline was set after Iran ignored a previous demand to respond by last weekend to the proposed package.

The UN has already imposed three sets of sanctions against Iran over the dispute.

Tensions were again heightened on Monday, Iran said it had successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile with a range of 300km that would allow it to close the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman.

"No enemy vessels would be able to escape it," General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said.

Tehran has steadfastly refused to suspend its uranium-enrichment activities, which it says are aimed only at producing fuel for nuclear power production.

Western powers fear the programme is a cover for developing nuclear weapons.

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