Iranian Ambassador to Britain Mohammad Hossein Adeli urged on Thursday the European Union (EU) to cherish the opportunity to act as the broker of Iran's nuclear issue, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Europe's golden opportunity to play an international role is not only fading away, but is turning into an irresolvable dispute, which could ignite an unwanted and unnecessary conflict," Adeli was quoted as saying in London.

Adeli said the opportunity for the EU to solve the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic means was "on the verge of becoming the victim of the US-Iranian estrangement and grievances."

Iran has been under mounting pressure of the EU to re-suspend its uranium conversion activities which it resumed on Aug. 8, after rejecting a comprehensive proposal made by the EU to solve the issue.

The EU has urged Iran to re-suspend the conversion activities before Sept. 19, a date when the International Atomic Energy Agency will hold a board of governors' meeting.

Tehran rejected the deadline, saying it would like to invite more countries as negotiating partners.

Adeli further called for the European trio of Britain, France and Germany, which had been negotiating with Iran on behalf of the union, not to be influenced by the United States, stressing that the current deadlock in the nuclear negotiations was a result of the US interference.

Iran and the EU have been negotiating over Tehran's nuclear program since the Islamic Republic suspended all activities related to uranium enrichment in November 2004.

The EU tried to persuade Iran to abandon its efforts to build a nuclear reactor cycle. However, Tehran insists that it will never give up its legal rights.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the disguise of civil usage, a charge rejected by Tehran.

Source: Xinhua