Iran has said it will not stop uranium conversion and warned of consequences if it was referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions over its nuclear programme.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran wants to continue dialogue with Europe without preconditions and rejected a US-European threat that Tehran has about a week to freeze uranium processing activities or face referral to the Security Council.
"There is no legal or legitimate reason, given Iran's transparent activities and its open cooperation with the IAEA . . . that Iran be referred to the UN Security Council," Mr Mottaki said.
"If a political decision is made to refer Iran to the UN Security Council, it will be entering a lose-lose game," he said. "It will have its own certain consequences and will affect Iran's decisions. We prefer that such a game is not played."
Mr Mottaki also said Iran plans to seek bids for building two more nuclear power plants in the Islamic republic. Russia now is finishing a plant in Bushehr that Iran expects to begin producing electricity early next year.
The United States accuses Iran of using its civilian nuclear programme as a cover to secretly produce nuclear weapons. Iran has rejected the charges, saying its nuclear programme is geared toward generating electricity, not a bomb.
Mr Mottaki said Tehran would ignore European calls to stop uranium conversion, which was resumed last month at its Uranium Conversion Facility in Isfahan in central Iran.
But he said Iran was willing to continue dialogue over its nuclear programme with European negotiators.