TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran Monday said a new round of talks with Russia on its proposal over a joint uranium enrichment venture had been delayed and it would resume enrichment before the UN nuclear watchdog meets on March 6.

    "We will not wait for the IAEA's meeting on the matter of uranium enrichment," government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

    The resumption of industrial scale uranium enrichment will be the final step of Iran's reactions against a recent decision by the IAEA to report Iran's case to the UN Security Council, which means a return to the situation before the EU's involvement in 2003. 

    Meanwhile, Elham said that due to some new developments of the issue, the talks with Russia had been postponed indefinitely.  

    "The date of the planned negotiations would be reset due to some new developments," government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said, stressing that Iran is determined to enrich uranium for peaceful purpose within its own territory.

    The negotiations were previously scheduled on Thursday in Moscow to discuss a compromise proposal put forward by Russia in late December 2005 to defuse the escalating crisis over the Iranian nuclear program.

    The Russian proposal suggests that the two countries establish a joint venture in Russia to enrich uranium for Iran in a bid to disperse the suspicion over Iran's nuclear program while securing Iran's legitimate right to construct nuclear fuel cycle.

    Iran has been posing an equivocal stance on the proposal, saying the suggestion was not negative but has to be complemented in order to meet Iran's energy needs.

    On Feb. 4, the IAEA board of governors adopted a resolution drafted by the EU, which urges Iran to re-suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment and requires the agency to report Iran's file to the UN Security Council.

    However, the resolution asks the Security Council not to take actions until the IAEA's meeting on March 6.

    Based on the evaluation that the "report" had nothing different from "referral", Iran announced on Feb. 5 that it had ceased all voluntary cooperative measures, citing snap inspections of the IAEA which was required by the additional protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

    Meanwhile, Tehran has also asked the IAEA to remove most of its surveillance instruments on Iran's nuclear facilities, arguing that they were beyond the NPT and the Safeguards Agreement.

    As to the Russian proposal, Iran said soon after the IAEA's adoption of the resolution that it would have "no reason to seek the proposal", but the tone was softened on Feb. 5. On that day, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said the negotiations with Russia would be continued.

    Uranium enrichment is the key step for constructing nuclear fuel cycle, but highly enriched uranium can be used for building nuclear weapons.

    Iran suspended uranium enrichment in December 2003 and signed the additional protocol to build confidence under the persuasions of the European trio of Britain, France and Germany.  

    At the signature, however, Iran insisted that the measures were taken voluntarily and should be subject to the country's will of withdrawal.

    Owing to dissatisfaction with the progress of the talks with the EU trio, Tehran resumed uranium conversion work, a precursor to the enrichment, in August 2005 in defiance of the tough-worded warnings from the EU.

    Such a move triggered the seven-month tension over the Iranian nuclear issue.

    Iran also resumed nuclear fuel research work, namely uranium enrichment on a small scale, on Jan. 10, another move leading to an escalation of the crisis.

    Furthermore, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also warned on Saturday that Iran would revise its policy of cooperation if it found that the NPT and the regulations of the IAEA were used todeprive Iran of its legal rights on peaceful nuclear technology. 

    The President's remarks gave rise to extensive suspicion that it was a hint of a possible withdrawal from the NPT by the Islamic Republic.

    However, Asefi, the spokesman, said Sunday that Iran still remained committed to the NPT but could not accept its use as a political tool to deprive of Iran's rights.

    The EU, based on the U.S. accusation that Iran is developing nuclear weapons secretly, holds that Iran's full mastery of nuclear fuel cycle technology would possibly lead to military usage.

    But Iran insists that its nuclear program is fully peaceful and aimed at meeting its rising domestic demand for electricity. Enditem