German Chancellor Angela Merkel warns that the proposal to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear standoff with the West is not open-ended.

"I hope we will make clear that, on the one hand, offers to Iran are on the table and that, on the other hand, further sanctions must be taken into account in the event of non-cooperation,'' Merkel said Monday.

She made the remarks in an interview with German television networks in Japan's Toyako, where leaders of the world's eight leading industrial nations have gathered for their annual summit.

Her comments come at a time when world powers are pressuring Iran to halt parts of its nuclear work that Washington and its European allies allege are aimed at conducting a military nuclear program.

This is while, the most recent UN nuclear watchdog report concluded that there is no link between the use of nuclear material and the 'alleged studies' of weaponization in Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran has expressed its willingness to negotiate while stressing that a freeze in its uranium enrichment program is not an option. Tehran, as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), argues that it is entitled to a civilian nuclear program.

MD/AA