Tehran/Brussels, Sep 14 (DPA) Iran is set to meet the world's major powers for talks on its disputed nuclear programme Oct 1, officials said Monday.

Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeid Jalili and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana 'spoke this morning and agreed on a date for talks... of Oct 1,' Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said.

The venue for the talks has not been fixed, Gallach said.

Solana, a former nuclear scientist, has been tasked with negotiating with Iran on behalf of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US - and Germany.

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu confirmed Monday in Vienna that his country would join other world powers in the meeting.

'This is an important first step in the discussion and one hopes for the best,' Chu told reporters on the sidelines of the IAEA general conference.

The world powers had earlier said that they wanted Iran to respond to an offer of direct negotiations with the US by the beginning of the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said earlier Monday that Iran wanted to discuss global nuclear disarmament with international powers.

However, the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, which the West suspects is geared towards producing nuclear weapons, would not be on the agenda.