UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on Iran not to restart its nuclear activities before receiving the latest European proposals aimed at finding a diplomatic solution to the issue, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.

"The Secretary-General urges restraint and patience on the part of the Iranian authorities," Dujarric told the daily briefing. "He very much believes that they should wait for the latest proposals from the European Three before making any attempts to restart their nuclear activities."

"In his dealings with the three European countries, the Secretary-General is convinced that they are very much constructively engaged in a search for a solution and therefore encourages the Iranian authorities to continue to work with them." Dujarric said, adding that "the Secretary-General very much supports the dialogue between the European Three and the Iranian authorities."

Earlier Monday, Iran announced it would remove the seal on the uranium conversion facilities in Isfahan after the deadline for the European Union to submit its proposal on Iran's controversial nuclear program was ignored by the European Union.

Source: Xinhua