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Iran will not "retreat one iota" in its nuclear activities, its president says, in his first reaction to a new call for Tehran to end uranium enrichment.

Envoys from the US, EU and UN asked Iran to give an answer within two weeks or face possible new sanctions.

The meeting in Geneva on Saturday was the first time US and Iranian officials have held face-to-face talks about Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

"The Iranian people are steadfast," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.

They "will not retreat one iota in the face of oppressing powers," he said in the televised speech made to thousands of supporters in the southern town of Yasouj.

He also praised US participation in the Geneva talks, describing it as a "positive step forward" towards recognising Iran's right to acquire nuclear technology.