VIENNA (AP) — Iran and world powers will meet next month for the first time in more than a year in an attempt to reduce tensions over Tehran’s refusal to curb its nuclear activities, a senior EU official said Monday.

But Iran also warned Israel and the United States that it is ready to defend itself if either country ever launches a military attack against its atomic facilities.

The two developments set the tone for Monday’s opening of the general conference of the 150-nation International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

In Belgium, Javier Solana, the EU’s chief diplomat, announced Iran’s readiness to follow up last week’s offer from the six powers for talks.

The meeting — scheduled for Oct. 1 — could set the stage for substantive negotiations.

This could reduce tensions over the Islamic Republic’s refusal to freeze uranium enrichment and heed other U.N. Security Council demands.

That meeting will formally be between Solana, the EU’s foreign policy chief, and Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

But Solana spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said representatives of the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany are expected to be present during those talks.U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, in Vienna for the IAEA conference, confirmed the U.S. would be sending a representative.

“This is an important first step,” he told reporters.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country heads the rotating EU presidency, warned against undue expectations.

Considering the wide divide between Tehran and the six nations on nuclear and other issues.

“The meeting itself is a positive step, yes, but how positive it remains to be seen,” he said.The talks would be the first time the six countries meet with Iran since more than a year ago.

A 2008 session in Geneva foundered over Iran’s refusal to discuss nuclear enrichment.Despite a U.S. decision to send a representative to the talks in a break with past policy.Iran still formally refuses to discuss the issue.

But the U.S. and its partners decided last week to agree to talks with Tehran in hope that broad negotiations would eventually grow to encompass enrichment and related topics.Israel and the U.S. have warned in the past that force could be used as a last resort. If Iran continued to defy the Security Council regarding its alleged efforts to build nuclear weapons.

At Monday’s IAEA conference, Iran nuclear chief Ali Akhbar Salehi told the delegates that his country is ready to defend itself militarily.

“We are … being continuously threatened with attacks on our nuclear facilities,” Salehi told the conference.

“Such a vigilant nation, while taking every threat seriously, is in the meantime confident of its capacity to defend itself.”

• George Jahn