Iran reported to UN

VIENNA - The UN nuclear watchdog has voted to report Iran to the Security Council over fears it seeks atomic bombs.

A defiant Tehran responded by saying it would curb UN inspections right away and pursue full-scale uranium enrichment.

In a 27-3 vote, the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board opted to notify the Security Council on Iran but no Council action, including sanctions, would be considered before a conclusive IAEA investigative report due next month.

The Islamic Republic says its nuclear programme is designed solely to generate electricity for its economy, not bombs, and claims a sovereign right to make uranium fuel on its own soil.

But 18 years of hiding its nuclear work from the IAEA, frequent evasions of IAEA probes since and a move last month to resume suspended nuclear fuel research and small-scale enrichment paved the way to Saturday's decision.

To head off Security Council action, Iran must halt fuel enrichment "for which it today has no civil requirement", preserve spot IAEA checks and give IAEA sleuths full access to nuclear officials, equipment and related military sites, said Gregory Schulte, US ambassador to the agency.

A rare consensus between the Western permanent powers on the Security Council -- Britain, France and the United States -- and Russia and China over Iran reached last month made the vote possible. Moscow and Beijing previously blocked IAEA action.

Iran's IAEA envoy called the move a "hasty and immature decision" and said Tehran would immediately halt snap IAEA checks of its nuclear sites and move into "commercial-scale" enrichment of uranium, the fuel for power plants or bombs.

Iranian officials said the vote also could destroy any basis for talks on Russia's proposal to defuse Iran's standoff with the West by taking in Iranian uranium for enrichment, in theory preventing diversions to bomb-making.

"In this context, we think we have to see how we can consider the Russian proposal. Now it's not clear for us," said Iranian deputy nuclear negotiator Javad Vaeedi, who on Friday had said engaging the Security Council would "kill" the talks.

Asked whether talks on the proposal were now off, Russian ambassador to the IAEA Grigory Berdennikov said: "I never heard any information to the contrary. We have spoken to the Iranians and the impression that we got was that the proposal is still on the table and negotiations will continue."

Western leaders rejected the Iranian threats as "blackmail" and said this would not deter efforts to have Iran clear up suspicions that it is trying to build atomic bombs under cover of a civilian nuclear energy programme.

"This sends a further strong message to the Islamic Republic of Iran, a message of concern ... and a continuing lack of confidence in Iran's nuclear intentions," said British IAEA Ambassador Peter Jenkins.

The vote had been delayed by a day of haggling between EU powers and 15 developing states from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). These tried to soften the resolution for fear it would antagonise Iran and curb their own nuclear energy options.

- REUTERS