TEHRAN, August 13 (RIA Novosti) - Iran said Sunday it had lost confidence in Europe's intentions to settle its nuclear problem peacefully.

The five permanent UN Security Council members, including Russia and China, voted July 31 in favor of a resolution to set August 31 as a deadline for Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment activities. If Iran fails to fulfill the UN's demands, economic and diplomatic sanctions may be imposed on the Islamic Republic.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said the Islamic Republic was surprised by the Europeans' behavior (the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution on Iran) and now did not believe in Europeans' good intentions to solve its nuclear issue by way of negotiations.

Iran's nuclear program has been a source of major controversy since the beginning of the year, as many countries suspect the Islamic Republic of pursuing a covert weapons program under the pretext of civilian research, despite its claims to the contrary.

Asefi also said the Iran nuclear problem must be solved by diplomatic efforts and warned the West against threats and tough actions in relation to the Islamic Republic.