DHAKA: David Cameron, the UK prime minister, and Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, have expressed commitment for Iran and major powers to reach a long-term agreement over Iran’s nuclear program.

The two leaders met at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday in the first such meeting since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

In addition to the nuclear talks, they also discussed the threat from the self-declared jihadist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who have taken over parts of Syria and Iraq.

“The PM and president acknowledged that there had been significant differences between their countries in the past, and agreed that we should seek to progressively improve our bilateral relationship,” Cameron’s office said in a statement.

The UK severed direct diplomatic relations with Iran after activists stormed its embassy in Tehran in late 2011, reports the Al jazeera on Thursday.

The 2013 election in Iran of Rouhani, a moderate pragmatist who replaced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, paved the way for a thaw in ties.

Britain announced in June that it would reopen its embassy in Iran in the coming months.

BDST: 1620 HRS, SEP 25, 2014