Javed Vaeidi, the deputy head of Iran's powerful Security Council, was reacting to his country's referral to the UN Security Council over suspicions it might be seeking nuclear arms. He spoke just minutes after the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35nation board voted for referral.

The UN nuclear watchdog agency reported Iran in a resolution expressing concern that Tehran's nuclear programme may not be "exclusively for peaceful purposes".

The decision by the board sets the stage for future action by the top UN body that could include economic and political sanctions.

A European resolution backed by the United States calling for referral was backed by 27 nations at the meeting.

The resolution expresses "serious concerns about Iran's nuclear programme". It recalls "Iran's many failures and breaches of its obligations" to the non-proliferation treaty.

And it expresses "the absence of confidence that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes".

It requests IAEA director General Mohamed El Baradei to "report to the Security Council" steps Iran needs to take to dispel suspicions about its nuclear ambitions.

The resolution calls on Iran to:

>> Re-establish a freeze on uranium enrichment and related activities.

>> Consider whether to stop construction of a heavy water reactor that could be the source of plutonium for weapons.

>> Formally ratify an agreement allowing the IAEA greater inspecting authority and continue honouring the agreement before it is ratified.

>> Give the IAEA additional power in its investigation of Iran's nuclear programme, including "access to individuals" for interviews, as well as to documentation on its blackmarket nuclear purchases, equipment that could be used for nuclear and non-nuclear purposes and "certain military-owned workshops" where nuclear activities might be going on.

The draft also asks El Baradei to "convey. . . to the Security Council" his report to the next board session in March along with any resolution that meeting might approve.

The wording of the final resolution recognised "that a solution to the Iranian issue would contribute to global non-proliferation efforts and. . . the objective of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, including their means of delivery". A western diplomat at the meeting said the US felt strongly about not linking its ally Israel to nuclear concerns in the Middle East when it considers Iran the real threat in the region.

But the Americans agreed in the face of overwhelming support for inclusion of such a clause from its European allies spearheading the resolution.