By Xinhua
Vienna : Iran refused Thursday to suspend its uranium enrichment activities as a precondition for negotiations to solve the nuclear issue.
"Iran is of the belief that the right course of action in resolving the nuclear issue is through dialogue and negotiations, without preconditions," Ali Soltanieh, Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told a board meeting of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.
The 35-nation board of governors of the IAEA, which started a five-day meeting here Monday, was wrapping up its discussion of the Iran nuclear issue on Thursday morning.
"As always declared, Iran is fully prepared to remove ambiguities, if any, about its nuclear activities," Soltanieh said.
The US and the European Union have been warning Iran to return to the negotiating table or face more sanctions from the UN Security Council, but they insist that Iran should suspend its uranium enrichment first as required by Security Council resolutions.
The US and some European countries accuse Tehran of trying to develop nuclear weapons with its uranium enrichment project, an accusation Iran denies, saying it only intends to generate electricity.