Tuesday, January 17 2006 19:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Tehran: Iran vowed today (Jan 17, 2006) to put an end to tough UN inspections of its atomic programme and fully resume sensitive nuclear fuel work if its case is referred to the Security Council.

Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ali Asgar Soltaniyeh, also told the student news agency ISNA that a decision to kick-start nuclear research work was 'irreversible.'

"As I said recently, if Iran's nuclear case leaves the framework of the IAEA for the Security Council, the Government, in line with the law voted by parliament, will end voluntary cooperation," he was quoted as saying.

He said this included an end to a voluntary suspension of certain nuclear fuel work.

While Iran has restarted uranium enrichment research, a move that prompted the latest crisis, it is for now maintaining a freeze on large-scale enrichment work.

Soltaniyeh said the reprisals would also include Tehran ending the application of the additional protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which gives more power to IAEA inspectors.

The protocol was signed by Iran's previous reformist Government but has not yet been ratified by the conservative parliament.

"This message is very clear and very direct, and the (IAEA) secretariat and members must understand this," he stressed.

Iran is facing the threat of being referred to the Security Council for resuming research work which Israel and the Western powers fear would give the regime the know-how to build a bomb.