TEHRAN, Jan. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Former Iranian president Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani here on Wednesday called on the European Union (EU) to show wisdom when dealing with the Iranian nuclear issue and warned against sanction attempt on the country.

    "To settle the nuclear issue both parties are required to show wisdom, and if they (the Europeans) take an unwise move, they have done injustice to the region and the world," Rafsanjani told a religious gathering, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

    Rafsanjani's comments came one day after Iran resumed nuclear fuel research activities in defiance of EU and U.S. warnings and incurred immediate threats to refer the Iranian nuclear file to the UN Security Council, which could lead to economic sanctions on Iran.

    "They cannot resolve the problem through sanctions and so on,"Rafsanjani stressed, terming the Western reactions as "heavy and unprecedented" anti-Iran propaganda and assaults.

    "The root cause of these assaults lies in the colonialist nature and policies of the West, whose plan is to keep countries backward," Rafsanjani said.

    The former Iranian president, who is current chairman of the powerful Expediency Council, reiterated that Iran would not give up its rights on peaceful nuclear technology, warning that the United States and the EU would "be regretful if they obstruct Iran's access to the latest science".

    Iran on Tuesday removed seals on its nuclear research sites and resumed the fuel research activities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog.

    Even Russia, which has been consistently supporting Iran on its nuclear issue and aiding it with its first nuclear power plant construction, expressed disappointment and concern over Tehran's resumption.

    Iranian Supreme Leader Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran would not give in under the pressure of sanctions.

    The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons secretly, but Iran terms the charge as politically motivated,insisting that its legal rights on peaceful nuclear technology are undeniable.

    The EU, which has been acting as the broker of the Iranian nuclear issue, holds that Tehran's complete command of uranium enrichment, a key process for nuclear fuel cycle construction, would lead to military usage.

    Iran's defiant move would put an upcoming round of nuclear talks with the EU on Jan. 18 in jeopardy, as what the union has warned.     Enditem