TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (Xinhuanet) - A top Iranian nuclear official urged the European Union (EU) on Saturday to adopt negotiations rather than threats on Iran's nuclear issue, the official IRNA news agency reported.

   "It would be reasonable for Iran and the EU to avoid any threatening approach towards the nuclear case and merely solve it through negotiations," Mohammad Saeedi, deputy chief of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview.

   Saeedi said the two sides should find proper ways to solve the nuclear issue under the principle of removing the 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.

   Saeedi urged the EU not to go extreme in the nuclear talks with Iran, referring to 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 members of the EU (apart from Britain, France and Germany) will prevent the radical ones from extremist approach," Saeedi added.

   "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 further noted that Iran hoped the EU will not set prerequisite for the resumption of nuclear negotiations.   Nuclear negotiations between Iran and the EU have been stalled since Iran resumed its uranium conversion work, the preparatory step of the 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 the United States to take harsh measures to press on its nuclear program.

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

   Iran has repeatedly stated that it would 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 while Tehran categorically denies the charge, saying its nuclear program is completely peaceful. Enditem