Iran's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Delegate Hussein Mousavian briefes the press after an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, September 18, 2004. The U.N. nuclear watchdog called on Iran on Saturday to immediately halt activities related to uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to make atomic weapons. (Photo: Xinhua/Reuters)

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei reads documents before the board of governors meeting in Vienna, September 18, 2004. A senior U.S. official said on Saturday Iran was "completely isolated" in what he called its pursuit of nuclear weapons and that this would be reflected in a draft resolution to be debated by the U.N. nuclear watchdog. (Photo: Xinhua/Reuters)

    VIENNA, Sept. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- The United Nations' (UN) nuclear watchdog -- the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) -- on Saturday adopted a resolution setting a Nov. 25 deadline for Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment program, a UN nuclear agency spokeswoman said.

    The resolution, passed at a meeting of the IAEA's board of governors, demands Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment and all other related activities.

    It also requests Iran to grant full and prompt access to the agency's inspectors, and provide them with any further information needed by Nov. 25, when the board convenes to review Iran's compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

    IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Saturday that Iran must suspend all its uranium enrichment activities in order to restore confidence after failing to report its nuclear activities to the IAEA for almost two decades,

    IAEA Spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said the resolution was passed by consensus without a vote by the agency's 35-nation board of governors.

    The resolution does not call on the board to report Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council, as the United States had strongly demanded, but says the agency will decide in November on whether Iran had fully met its demands and see if any further actions are needed.

    Non-aligned countries had been bitterly opposed to the resolution, submitted by Britain, France and Germany, as they believe imposing a deadline on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment program would go beyond the IAEA's mandate of monitoring compliance with the NPT.

    Enriched uranium can be used either to generate electricity or to make nuclear bombs. Under its obligations to the NPT, Iran is not barred from enrichment.

    Although the resolution does not include wording on a referral to the UN Security Council, which the United States hoped could in turn consider sanctions against Iran, the United States hailed the resolution as sending an "unmistakable signal" to Iran.

    Chief US delegate Jackie Sanders said the resolution set the next meeting of the board in November as "an unambiguous deadline for Iran to cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons."

    She said the text showed that continuing nuclear weapons program will bring Iran inevitably before the UN Security Council.

    Responding to the resolution, Iran's chief delegate to the conference Hossain Mousavian said Iran's leadership will decide on whether to fully suspend nuclear enrichment program in the next few days.

    Iran denied the US allegation that it has been developing nuclear weapons program, saying its uranium enrichment project is only for peaceful purposes. Enditem