( IRNA ) - Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said here Tuesday that sanctions imposed on the country were illegal and undermined the authority of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Hosseini was referring to what he termed the "politically motivated and unprincipled resolutions" against Iran which, he said, violate international law, rules and regulations.
He criticized the European Union's approach to the ongoing nuclear dispute as "destructive and discriminatory," and said it ignores Iran's legal and inalienable rights guaranteed by the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the nuclear safeguards regime.
Describing the EU ministerial council's assessment of Iran's cooperation with the IAEA as "unfair," the spokesman reminded that Iran has had broad and close cooperation with the IAEA on its peaceful nuclear activities.
"It has opened the doors of its nuclear facilities to all (IAEA) supervisors and inspectors who have confirmed that there has been no diversion in Iran's nuclear activities from their stated peaceful purposes."
He said Tehran was calling on the EU to adopt an independent and wise stance on the issue based on facts as brought out in IAEA inspections.
He said the approach of certain EU members was unrealistic and unacceptable.
Hosseini also urged the EU to consider ways of ending the current misunderstanding and concerns entertained by the international community, strengthen international treaties and the safeguards regime as well as respect Iran's right as well as those of other countries to exercise their inalienable right to access nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
He said the referral of Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council clearly ignored the demand of the international community, including the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), for settlement of the issue on its technical merits.
He regretted the EU's failure to champion countries' inalienable right to pursue nuclear energy in accordance with international treaties.
But he welcomed the EU decision to keep the doors of negotiation open in the case, and reiterated the Islamic Republic of Iran's stance that a negotiated solution would be the most logical way of solving the nuclear issue."