Iran on Saturday urged the European Union (EU) to pursue negotiations rather than threats on Iran's nuclear issue, expressing optimism over resumption of talks.

"It would be reasonable for Iran and the EU to avoid any threatening approach toward the nuclear case and merely solve it through negotiations," Mohammad Saeedi, deputy chief of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told the official IRNA news agency.

He said the two sides should find proper ways to solve the nuclear issue under the principle of removing international concerns over Iran's nuclear program and at the same time completely securing Iran's rights to peaceful nuclear technology, especially the right to build nuclear fuel cycle.

"If the issue is solved through practical, rational, legal and technical ways, the positive outcome of such negotiations will be to the interest of Iran, Europe and the United States as well," Saeedi said.

He urged the EU not to go extreme in nuclear talks with Iran, referring to the EU's attempt to refer Iran's case to the UN Security Council.

"If Europe chooses to go extreme, Iran will have many options. But I hope that they would not take such a measure and that reasonable EU members will prevent the radical ones from extremist approach," he said.

"If the dossier is to be referred to the UN Security Council, the harsh atmosphere expected to follow such a decision will neither be to our interest, nor to that of Europe," the official stressed.

Saeedi said Iran hoped that the EU will not set prerequisite for the resumption of nuclear negotiations.

Meanwhile, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said that Iran had always underlined the importance of negotiations for resolving the nuclear dispute, expressing optimism about the resumption of talks with the EU.

"Iran is optimistic about the nuclear talks, noting that the negotiations should be resumed on the logical subject of Iran's right to possess nuclear technology," Larijani told Iran's student news agency ISNA.

But Larijani owed the deadlocked nuclear negotiations to the EU, saying Tehran was not responsible for the breakdown of the talks.

The negotiator reiterated Iran's strong will to resist pressure exerted by the EU and the United States on the country's nuclear program.

"No country can challenge the national will of a country and the national will of the Iranian nation will never be diverted. Iran has chosen a peaceful way to develop nuclear technology and will continue its efforts," Larijani said.

Nuclear negotiations between Iran and the EU have been stalled since Iran resumed its uranium conversion work, a preparatory step toward uranium enrichment, in early August in defiance of EU warnings.

As a result, Britain, France and Germany, the EU trio negotiating with Iran on behalf of the union, backed by the United States, threatened to resort to harsh measures to deal with Iran's nuclear program.

On Sept. 22, the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a EU-drafted resolution, urging Tehran to suspend enrichment-related activities before November and warning that its case will be referred to the UN Security Council.

Iran has repeatedly stated that it will never re-suspend uranium conversion activities but expressed willingness at the same time to resume negotiations with the EU.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the disguise of civilian program, a charge denied by Tehran.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2005)