Iran warned today it may resume uranium enrichment-related work next week after failing to reach a breakthrough in talks with the European Union over the long-term future of its disputed nuclear programme.
The warning sets up a summer crisis in Iran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West and is likely to lead to renewed US calls to send its case to the United Nations Security Council for possible economic sanctions.
"Iran will decide whether to resume its uranium enrichment programme this week in Tehran," the official IRNA news agency quoted Tehran's chief nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rohani, as saying.
"Iran is unlikely to start enriching uranium at Natanz, but some activities might be resumed next week at Isfahan's Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) complex."
Iran, which denies trying to make nuclear weapons, froze all uranium fuel work, including activities at Isfahan and Natanz, last November as part of an agreement with the EU's big three powers Britain, Germany and France.
The EU trio and Iran failed to reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear programme at talks in London on Friday but agreed to continue the negotiations next week in New York.
"(Yesterday's) talks were informal with no conclusions," a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said on Saturday.
"Now both sides intend to reflect on the discussions and they intend to be in contact soon, including in New York where they will attend the NPT (non proliferation treaty) review conference."
The NPT review conference starts on Monday in New York.