Iran vows not to make compromise under pressure

A senior Iranian nuclear negotiator vowed Sunday not to compromise under pressure but called for dialogue over its disputed nuclear program.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not make any compromise under a diplomacy of force and pressure, but leave all negotiating doors open to reach an agreement within a specific time framework, " Javad Vaeidi, Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

He also defended Iran's resumption of nuclear fuel research as different from nuclear fuel production, saying "voluntary suspension of fuel production at industrial level will remain".

"The Western countries know well that no atomic bomb will be produced through nuclear research," Vaeidi said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told a weekly news briefing that Iran's policy is based on dialogue, adding Iran "believes positive results can be attained through dialogue".

Asefi reiterated that Iran would not be terrified by the possible referral of its nuclear case to the UN Security Council.

The EU trio of Britain, France and Germany, which have been negotiating with Tehran for the past two years, cancelled a scheduled talks with Iran on Jan. 18 after Iran's resumption of nuclear fuel research on Jan. 10.

At the request of the three EU countries, the UN's nuclear watchdog IAEA board of governors will hold an emergency meeting on Feb. 2 in Vienna to decide whether to haul Iran before the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

On Tuesday, Vaeidi urged the EU trio to return to the negotiating table, an offer rejected by them as meaningless.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Wednesday

that "taking into account the current situation, we think the possibility is slight for Iran's case to be sent to the UN Security Council."

He had earlier threatened to halt snap inspection of its nuclear sites by IAEA if it was referred to the Security Council.

Source: Xinhua