WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says the U.S. is willing to restart nuclear talks with Iran because it believes diplomacy coupled with strong pressure can persuade Tehran to curtail its nuclear ambitions.

White House national security council spokesman Tommy Vietor says the U.S. and its allies will be working on their approach to the talks in the coming weeks. Vietor says it will be up to Iran to demonstrate its commitment to ending its nuclear program through concrete and practical steps.

Vietor says the U.S. and its international partners will continue to implement economic sanctions on Iran.

The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany announced Tuesday that they had agreed to a new round of talks with Iran. The last round in January 2011 ended in failure.