The Daily Telegraph newspaper quoted an unnamed Israeli defence official as saying the talks were aimed at planning for all scenarios, including any future decision to target Iran's nuclear programme.

Israeli bombers would need a corridor through US-administered airspace in Iraq to carry out any strikes, the official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Ephraim Sneh, Israel's Deputy Defence Minister, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the report was incorrect. "This is baseless information," Sneh said. "Maybe people like to divert (attention from) the need for immediate economic sanctions (with) stories about imminent Israeli action, which is not on the agenda."

The international community's focus should be on imposing economic sanctions on Iran for defying UN Security Council resolutions, he said.

Senior officials of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council Britain, the US, France, China and Russia and Germany are meeting Monday for an emergency summit in London to discuss measures against Tehran.

The US and its Western allies insist Iran must suspend uranium enrichment before any negotiations over its nuclear program take place and accused Tehran of using a civilian program as a cover to develop weapons.

Iran, has rejected the condition to suspend enrichment and insists that its nuclear program is peaceful.

Earlier Vice President Dick Cheney said yesterday that the United States and its allies must not allow Iran to become a nuclear power and raised concerns about Tehran's actions and "inflammatory" rhetoric.

The stern comments from Cheney, who is known for his hawkish views, followed Tehran's refusal to heed a UN deadline to halt uranium enrichment and a vow by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to stand up to the rest of the world and not show weakness by acceding to the West's demands.

"They have made some fairly inflammatory statements," Cheney said of Iran at a joint Sydney news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. "They appear to be pursuing the development of nuclear weapons."

"We are deeply concerned and have made it very clear we're deeply concerned about Iran's activities," he said.

Iran insists that it is not trying to acquire nuclear weapons and its enrichment activities are for peaceful purposes.

In addition to Iran, the two leaders touched on issues ranging from the Iraq war to China and Australian Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks.