Iran says never to suspend uranium enrichment work

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Tuesday that his country would never suspend its uranium enrichment work despite increasing international pressure.

"The demand for Iran to stop enrichment is illegitimate and based on a wrong political strategy," the official IRNA news agency quoted Mottaki as saying at a conference in Tehran.

"This will never materialize," he said, adding that the Islamic republic would not surrender its right to access nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Meanwhile, the Iranian chief diplomat said that Iran is nevertheless prepared to hold talks on its nuclear issue without any preconditions.

"We think that the inclusion of other parties, including heads of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Non- Aligned Movement (NAM), in talks will help bring about more serious and comprehensive talks," he said.

Responding to a question on how Iran would react to a likely second UN Security Council resolution against Iran, he said he hoped no such resolution would be adopted.

His remarks came after world powers agreed on Monday to work on a new UN Security Council resolution to press Iran to end its nuclear program.

At a one-day closed-door meeting that ended on Monday in London, top diplomats from Britain, France, China, Russia, the United States and Germany agreed to begin work on a new UN Security Council resolution on Iran over its nuclear program but were still committed to seeking a negotiated solution, British officials said.

The talks came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed last week that Iran failed to suspend uranium enrichment activity by a 60-day deadline prescribed in the UN Security Council resolution 1737.

"We began work on a new Security Council resolution building on resolution 1737," said British negotiator John Sawers.

"We also considered how best to re-engage with Iran. We are all committed to seeking a negotiated solution," he said.

John Sawers said no decisions were taken and there would be further contacts between these nations later this week.

The UN Security Council adopted resolution 1737 on Dec. 23, 2006, demanding Iran to "suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, and work on all heavy water-related projects."

Iran has rejected the resolution as an "illegal measure" and vowed to continue the country's nuclear program.