The Islamic Republic has announced its readiness to reopen talks with members of the so-called Iran Six or P5+1 group, which comprises the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, on April 13 in Turkey.

“We approach these talks with sincerity and a genuine desire for a breakthrough,” Hague said in a major foreign policy speech in London on Thursday. “This can only come if Iran enters the talks in a new spirit."

The Iran Six has been trying to convince Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program and to alleviate concerns about its nuclear ambitions since 2003. Talks were suspended in 2009 after the IAEA accused Iran of building undeclared nuclear facilities.

Iran is already the subject of a wide range of international sanctions because the West, led by the United States, accuses Tehran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program. However, the Islamic Republic insists its nuclear power needs are for civilian purposes only.

Hague reiterated on Thursday that the world community does not seek regime change in the country but merely expects the Iranian leadership to prove that it is not planning to build or acquire nuclear weapons.

"We look to the Iranian government to prove to the world that their nuclear program is for peaceful energy, not for nuclear weapons, and to give up any plans to acquire them," Hague said.

The head of British diplomacy also hinted at the possibility that the sanctions against Iran could be eased if Tehran agreed to cooperate with world powers and the International Atomic Energy Agency on the issue.