Iran said on Friday it would end voluntary co-operation with the United Nations over its nuclear program, including snap checks of atomic sites, if Teheran was referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

The United States and the European Union's three biggest powers said on Thursday that talks with Iran to curb its nuclear program were at an impasse and that Teheran should be brought before the Security Council.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki warned that a referral would have "consequences" for the West.

"The government will be obliged to end all of its voluntary measures if sent to the UN council," Mottaki was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to end snap checks and resume enrichment if Teheran's case is sent to the Security Council. A bill passed by parliament in November made the threat a legal obligation for the government.

Accusing Iran of turning its back on the international community, the EU's big three - Britain, Germany and France - said it had consistently breached its commitments and failed to show the world that its nuclear activities were peaceful.

"Our talks with Iran have reached a dead end," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after talks in Berlin with his British and French counterparts and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

A joint statement from the so-called EU3 countries said: "We believe the time has now come for the Security Council to become involved."

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined calls for an emergency meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, to seek a referral to the council, which has the power to impose sanctions.

Iran escalated its nuclear standoff with the West on Tuesday when it began removing the UN seals on equipment used to enrich uranium - a process of purifying it for use as fuel in nuclear power plants or, when very highly enriched, in bombs.

The European Union and United States believe Iran wants to produce atomic fuel for weapons, but Teheran insists its nuclear ambitions are limited to the peaceful generation of electricity.

Mottaki said Iran, as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), had every right to conduct research on producing uranium fuel.

"Iran does not need any country's permission," Mottaki said. "It is our legitimate right to have nuclear technology."

Mottaki called on Germany, France and Britain, which have been trying for more than two years to persuade Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment program, to stop making a fuss over Iran's nuclear activities.

"It is up to the EU3," he said. "We are ready to continue talks that preserve our rights and also remove their concerns."

(China Daily January 14, 2006)