Thursday, March 9 2006 15:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Tehran: Iran today (Mar 09 2006) said that it was still open to talks over its disputed nuclear programme despite being reported to the Security Council, but stuck by its refusal to return to a full freeze of sensitive atomic work.

"Iran will not give up its right to research and development because this is against the wishes of the Iranian people," senior national security official Abdol Reza Rahmani-Fazli told sources.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, yesterday opened the way for Security Council action against Iran over its atomic energy drive - seen in the West as a cover for weapons development.

Unlike the IAEA, the Security Council has enforcement powers and can impose punitive measures, including sanctions.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to cooperate with the IAEA in order to achieve its rights, but will not accept the politicisation of the nuclear case," said Rahmani-Fazli, the deputy of top Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani.

"The principle of negotiations as a way to answer all questions is considered open," he added.

Europe and the United States have led the drive for action, saying Iran has hidden the truth about its nuclear programme and should not be allowed to enrich uranium, which can provide the fuel for civilian reactors but also, in highly enriched form, material for atomic weapons.

Although Tehran has proposed suspending industrial-scale enrichment, it is refusing to halt enrichment research - but critics of the country argue that even this would allow the clerical regime to acquire nuclear weapons know-how.

Rahmani-Fazli, however, said that Iran's insistence on only conducting research was a sign of its "good faith".