TEHRAN, Jan. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- A senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that the referral of Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council would bring "an end to diplomacy."

    "Any report or referral of Iran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council will mean an end to diplomacy, which is not positive at all," Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted by the state television as saying.

    Earlier, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh said that there was no legal basis to send Iran to the United Nations Security Council over the nuclear case.

    But he also voiced confidence that Iran and concerned parties can find a diplomatic solution to settle the issue.

    Meanwhile, Javad Vaidi, a top Iranian nuclear negotiator, told the state television that Iran's resumption of nuclear research earlier this month was irreversible.

    Iranian officials made the remarks shortly after the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States,France, Britain, Russia and China - and Germany agreed in a London meeting that a coming International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)Board meeting should report its decision on the steps required of Iran over its nuclear case to the Security Council.

    On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki reiterated that Iran will suspend all confidence-building measures if its nuclear file was referred. Enditem