TEHRAN, Jan. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran's former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Thursday blasted the United States and the European Union (EU) for adopting colonialist attitude toward Iran's nuclear program.

    "To me, colonial attitude is the main reason behind the West's opposition to Iran's peaceful nuclear activities," Rafsanjani was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying in the northern city of Rasht.

    Rafsanjani, who is current Chairman of the powerful Expediency Council, condemned the West for "planning to deprive the Third World countries, particularly the Islamic states, of nuclear technology and to keep them always some steps behind", vowing to "break down the colonial taboos against using nuclear energy peacefully."

    Also on Thursday, foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain, the so-called EU trio which have been negotiating with Tehran on its nuclear issue on behalf of the bloc, held a meeting in Berlin in reaction to Iran's recent resumption of nuclear research.

    After the meeting, the three ministers called for an emergency session of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to vote on referring Iran to the United Nations Security Council, which could lead to economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Rafsanjani on Wednesday urged the EU to show wisdom when dealing with the Iranian nuclear case and warned against the attempt to impose sanctions on Iran.

    Iran on Tuesday removed seals on its nuclear research sites and resumed nuclear research activities under the supervision of the IAEA, incurring repeated condemnation of the EU, the U.S. and some other countries.

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

    Washington accuses Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons, but Iran slams the charge as politically motivated, insisting that its legal rights on peaceful nuclear technology are undeniable. Enditem