Iranian opinion-makers today welcomed the resignation of the US secretary of defence and the Republican Party's losses in Congress, saying the two events could reduce the chances of a confrontation with the United States over Iran's contentious nuclear programme.

Iran will hold the first runoff presidential election in its history between political veteran Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani and Tehran’s hard-line mayor, election officials said today.

The latest round of negotiations aimed at convincing Iran to scrap its nuclear program ended without a breakthrough yesterday, although talks are set to continue, the Foreign Office said.