Iran has said it will limit its co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.

 

Gholamhossein Elham, the government's spokesman, said on Sunday that Iran was taking the move in response to the UN's decision to impose new sanctions against Tehran on Saturday.

"After this illegal resolution was passed against Iran last night, it forced the government to act based on parliament's decision regarding the cooperation level with the agency and suspend parts of its activities with the agency," Elham told Iranian state television.

"The government in a cabinet meeting today decided to suspend code 1-3 of minor arrangements of the safeguards."

 

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He was referring to the part of the International Atomic Energy Agency's code which specifies that countries should inform the agency of any new steps and decisions made in its nuclear programme.

 

He said Iran would only reconsider this decision if its nuclear case was returned to the IAEA from the UN Security Council where the file is now being handled.

 

"This will continue until Iran's nuclear case is referred back to the IAEA from the UN Security Council," he said.

 

 

The UN Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose additional penalties on Iran for its nuclear ambitions by targeting Tehran's arms exports, a state-owned bank and the elite Revolutionary Guards.

 

Limited sanctions were initially imposed on Iran in December after it refused to halt uranium enrichment, a process which can be used to make power station fuel or material for warheads, which is what the West believes is Iran's ultimate goal.

 

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, says it wants only to generate electricity and to preserve its huge oil and gas reserves for export.