A senior Iranian official Friday owed the country's recent escape from a referral of its nuclear case to the UN Security Council to its resistance against foreign pressure, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The Western countries' retreat from their position on Iran's nuclear case was a result of Tehran's resistance against their pressure, said Ahmad Jannati, Chairman of the election and legislation supervising Guardian Council.

The Iranian people had shown they were ready to "confront with the western countries' bullying", Jannati was quoted as saying.

The Iranian chief supervisor also praised a recent bill passed by the country's Majlis (parliament) on Nov. 20, saying the approval "shows if the western countries want to ignore the NPT ( Non-Proliferation Treaty) and its obligations and regulations, the Iranian government won't have the duty to implement its voluntary obligations".

The bill requires the government to cease all voluntary confidence-building measures with the Europeans, including the suspension of uranium enrichment and the implementation of the additional protocol of the NPT, if the country's nuclear case is referred to the UN Security Council.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) in late September urged Iran to re-suspend its uranium conversion activities resumed in early August, or to face a referral of its nuclear case.

However, the agency's board of governors decided on Nov. 24 to postpone the referral in order to offer more time for Tehran and the European Union to discuss an alleged Russian proposal.

According to the proposal, Iran will be allowed to conduct uranium conversion activities on condition that the enrichment stage be moved to Russia, a measure keeping Tehran from obtaining nuclear technology crucial to making atom bombs.

Iran has categorically rejected the suggestion over enrichment abroad, insisting that uranium enrichment is its legal right enshrined by the NPT.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons secretly, a charge rejected by Tehran as politically motivated.

Source: Xinhua