Iran's top nuclear official is warning that his country will resume industrial-scale uranium enrichment, if Tehran is referred to the United Nations Security Council over its nuclear standoff with the West.
Nuclear negotiator Ali issued the warning in an interview in Monday's edition of the Financial Times newspaper.
Larijani is to travel to Moscow Tuesday for meetings with top Russian officials. Russia opposes U.N. sanctions on Iran and recently proposed that uranium could be enriched in Russia for use in Iranian reactors.
Last week, the International Atomic Energy agency called an emergency session for February second, to hear the European case for referring Iran to the world body for possible sanctions. The call came after Tehran broke a two-year moratorium on nuclear research.
Germany, Britain and France have refused to hold more talks until Iran again suspends its enrichment work.
Europe and the United States suspect Iran wants high-grade enriched uranium to make an atomic bomb. Tehran says it is seeking a lower grade of the enriched ore to make electricity.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.