Friday, January 13 2006 10:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Berlin: Europe's big three powers called yesterday (Jan 12, 2006) for UN Security Council action against Iran over its nuclear programme, saying two years of delicate negotiations with Tehran had reached a 'dead end'.

Speaking at the end of a crisis meeting here after Iran resumed sensitive nuclear fuel activities, the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany said they wanted an emergency meeting of the UN atomic watchdog to refer the dossier to the world body's executive.

"We believe the time has now come for the Security Council to become involved to reinforce the authority of IAEA resolutions," the troika said in a statement, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"The talks with Iran are at a dead end," Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters at a joint press conference.

"We will be calling for an extraordinary IAEA board meeting," he added.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said a planned meeting with Iranian officials on January 18 now 'no longer has reason to take place'.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had said earlier that it was 'highly probable' Tehran would end up being referred to the Security Council, which alone can impose UN sanctions.

The meeting in Berlin was aimed at assessing the international community's response after Iran broke seals at three nuclear facilities in order to resume research into uranium enrichment.

"For two and a half years we've been working with Iran and the rest of the international community to bring Iran into compliance with its very clear obligations not to do anything that leads to suspicions they are developing a nuclear weapons capability", Straw said before the meeting.

The meeting came as Iran vowed defiance following a furious international response after it broke the seals at the nuclear sites.

A diplomat in Vienna said Iran had now finished removing seals at three nuclear plants, including Natanz.

IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei has said Iran plans to start 'small-scale' uranium enrichment at Natanz, although a Western diplomat said it would likely take weeks to get the equipment up and running. With international diplomacy in high gear and China and Russia adding their criticism of Tehran, diplomats in Vienna said the IAEA could call a meeting of the board of governors within weeks.

The sources said ElBaradei would submit a report, which for the first time would cite 'no progress' on the Iranian nuclear dossier.

"The reason ElBaradei has said he is losing patience is not just about the unravelling" of the agreement to suspend enrichment research, but "it is also about inspections", a Western diplomat close to the agency said. Separately, Britain and Russia said officials from the so-called EU-3 plus China, Russia and the United States would meet next week in London.