TEHRAN, April 25 (RIA Novosti)-Iran will cut off its relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency if the UN Security Council imposes sanctions against it, Tehran's top nuclear negotiator said Tuesday.
"If sanctions are imposed on Iran, then we will suspend our relations with the IAEA," said Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council said.
Larijani also said that Iran would stop acting in a transparent manner over its nuclear programs if it is attacked.
"If the USA attacks Iran's nuclear facilities, we will stop acting transparently in the nuclear field and continue covert nuclear work at other facilities," he said.
"Iran's nuclear program cannot be stopped by force," Larijani said, adding that Iran was ready to act transparently in the nuclear field and favored the continuation of the negotiating process on the nuclear problem.
He said Iran welcomed any constructive proposals, but Tehran did not intend to resume a moratorium on nuclear activities.
"We are allergic to the word 'moratorium.' If someone explains to us why Iran should impose a moratorium, and why it is necessary, we will have no objections," the Security Council secretary said.
"When we ask them (the West) why we should do that, they cannot provide an answer," he said.
Iran's foreign minister said Monday he hoped the nuclear file on the country's controversial programs would be returned to the competence of the UN's nuclear watchdog.
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei will report April 28 to the UN Security Council, which has the authority to impose economic sanctions if Iran is found to be in breach of its international commitments.
Iran broke a two-year moratorium on nuclear research in January for what it claimed were energy-generating purposes, arousing fears around the globe that the country could be secretly trying to create weapons-grade material. The Russian proposal to enrich uranium for Iran's nuclear power plants has been widely seen as a way to end the current standoff.
The 35 members of the IAEA board referred the Iranian nuclear file to the UN Security Council in February over fears the country could be trying to develop nuclear weapons.
In a resolution March 28, the UN Security Council demanded Iran end uranium enrichment and re-open its nuclear facilities for UN inspections. It also ordered ElBaradei to look into Tehran's compliance with its non-proliferation commitments.
In defiance of the demands, Tehran, which insists on its right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology, announced April 11 that it had successfully produced low-enriched uranium.
The announcement, which came ahead of ElBaradei's visit to the country, prompted the U.S., France, Germany, Britain, and China to hold informal talks on further steps in relation to Tehran. But their meetings in Moscow brought no new decisions.
Russia, which is helping Iran build an $800-million nuclear power plant in Bushehr, has opposed the economic sanctions being pushed by the United States and its European allies. The Foreign Ministry said last week "sanctions could only be discussed when evidence is provided that Iran is pursuing not only peaceful work in the nuclear field."
Russian nuclear agency head Sergei Kiriyenko earlier said the Russian proposal to enrich uranium in Russia would remain on the table only if Iran met the IAEA demands.
