Five European MPs cancelled on Saturday a planned visit to Iran after the Islamic Republic refused to let them meet with a jailed opposition figure and a filmmaker who won a European human rights prize.

Five European MPs cancelled on Saturday a planned visit to Iran after the Islamic Republic refused to let them meet with a jailed opposition figure and a filmmaker who won a European human rights prize.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejected any pre-conditions. Therefore this visit has been cancelled," the Young Journalists Club reported on its website.

The ISNA news agency quoted Hossein Sheikholeslam, international affairs advisor to the speaker of parliament, as saying that Iran had "rejected a pre-condition set by the European parliamentary delegation to meet with two prisoners".

"If the delegation agrees to visit Iran under the initially agreed conditions and agenda, then there is no objection to the visit... But we cannot accept the current pre-condition."

For his part, a source at the European parliament said: "The five MEPs were about to leave for Tehran when delegation chair (Tarja) Cronberg received a phone call from the Iranian ambassador to the EU, saying they would not be allowed to meet with the two Sakharov Prize winners," jailed lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and filmmaker Jafar Panahi.

Sotoudeh, 47, is in jail serving an 11-year sentence for conspiring against state security. Panahi, 52, is under house arrest and has been banned from making films for 20 years.

The two were awarded the European 2012 Sakharov Prize on Friday.