The Islamic Republic failed to halt its enrichment activities, which the global community fears could lead to nuclear weapons production, by the UN Security Council-set deadline of Thursday, and could now face stringent sanctions.
"The demand to suspend the peaceful and legitimate nuclear activities being conducted in Iran under the [International Atomic Energy Agency] IAEA control is illegitimate and runs counter to the Iranians' national will," Gholam Hossein Elham said.
Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, presented a report on Iran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council Friday, confirming that the Islamic Republic was continuing its enrichment activities, and was working to build more centrifuges in its underground center in Natanz in an apparent effort to reach industrial-scale production of nuclear fuel.
The deputy foreign ministers of five permanent Security Council member-states and Germany, the Iran-6, are due to discuss the issue in London February 26 before the council meets to decide on further steps on Iran.
Iran, which has insisted its nuclear research is purely for electricity generation, is already under Security Council sanctions imposed December 23, when the body banned sensitive technology and material deliveries to the country.
Iran's security chief said Monday Tehran would accept Washington's invitation for further talks if no preliminary conditions were set.
"If the Americans make a proposal to start talks with Iran through official channels, and we see that talks could be logical and constructive, we will accept the proposal," Iran's IRNA news agency quoted Ali Larijani as saying.
"Setting preliminary conditions for talks, which is tantamount to determining the outcome of negotiations before they start, is unacceptable," Larijani said.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had repeatedly said Washington was willing to talk to Tehran if it halted its uranium enrichment.
The United States has pushed to punish the defiant regime. Officials in Washington, which has built up its military presence in the region, have even refused to rule out military strikes against Iran.
Russia, China and some other negotiators have maintained a more moderate approach in the dispute with an emphasis on diplomacy.
