Talks in Baghdad concerning Iran's controversial nuclear programme will go into an unscheduled second day after diplomats failed to reach agreement.
Six world powers made Iran an offer if it stopped processing medium-enriched uranium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons, EU officials said.
But Iran says uranium enrichment is its non-negotiable right.
A BBC correspondent at the talks says no-one is expecting any immediate breakthrough.
Negotiators for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany presented Iran with a package combining new and old proposals, an unnamed Western diplomat quoted by the Associated Press news agency said.
It included an offer of medical isotopes and co-operation on nuclear safety.
In exchange, Tehran would stop its 20% uranium enrichment programme as a first step, the diplomat said.
Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted government officials as describing the offer as "nitpicking" and the student news agency ISNA said the package was "not balanced".
Iranian media said its chief negotiator, Saeed Jalili, presented Tehran's own five-point package of proposals on "nuclear and non-nuclear issues". Details were not revealed.
The BBC's James Reynolds, who is at the talks, says diplomats had hoped to get through two full sessions of negotiations in one day, but only managed one.
Various bilateral meetings continued on the sidelines of the main talks late into Wednesday night.
No-one expects any immediate breakthroughs, our correspondent adds, after decades of mistrust between Iran and the West.
The goal of the six powers' team, led by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, is an Iranian agreement to curb uranium enrichment and allow UN inspectors to verify its nuclear activity is for peaceful purposes only.
Iran's priority is to secure an end to international sanctions that isolate the country and damage its economy.
Tehran has repeatedly said it is not seeking nuclear arms.
The talks are being closely watched by Israel, which says Iran is trying to buy time to keep its nuclear plants in full operation. Tel Aviv has hinted at military action unless Iran's nuclear development is curbed.
Security is tight for the talks, with thousands of Iraqi police and troops protecting the venue inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.
On Tuesday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano said an agreement with Iran over nuclear inspections was expected "quite soon" following his recent talks in Tehran.
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