The U.S. proposal, a major policy shift after decades without official public contact between the two countries, was made conditional on Iran agreeing to stop its uranium enrichment activities.

"It’s evident that the Islamic Republic of Iran only accepts proposals and conditions that meet the interests of the nation and the country. Halting enrichment definitely doesn’t meet such interests," IRNA said at the end of a dispatch reporting the offer of talks by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"Given the insistence by Iranian authorities on continuing uranium enrichment, Rice’s comments can be considered a propaganda move," IRNA said.

CountryWatch: Iran

Earlier Wednesday, an Iranian lawmaker said the U.S. offer for direct talks must be conducted without preconditions, Iran’s Student News Agency reported.

Kazem Jalali, spokesman for Parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, said the U.S. move might be viewed positively in Tehran if preconditions were dropped.