Iran has officially called on the European Union (EU) on Sunday to resume nuclear talks, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iran made the call in a letter by its top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani to foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany, the EU trio which had negotiated with the Islamic republic on its nuclear issue representing the EU.

"Iran welcomes constructive and logical talks within the framework of respective conventions and regulations of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Larijani was quoted as saying in the letter.

Larijani, however, reiterated Iran's "national resolve to attain legitimate rights as stipulated by international conventions on civilian application of nuclear energy."

Nuclear talks grounded to a halt in August after Iran resumed uranium conversion activities, a move prompting the EU to join the United States in backing a referral of Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

The issue came to an impasse when the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, adopted a resolution in September, urging Iran to suspend all enrichment-related activities; otherwise, its nuclear dossier would be referred to the UN Security Council.

Iran rejected the resolution as politically motivated, saying it will never return to a full suspension.

Iran suspended its uranium enrichment activities in November 2004 as a confidence-building gesture to the EU.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the cover of civil nuclear programs, a charge repeatedly denied by Tehran, which claims its nuclear programs are to generate electricity.

Source: Xinhua