TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will never suspend uranium enrichment as demanded by the West, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Tuesday after world powers agreed to work on a new UN resolution over Tehran's atomic plans.
The five permanent UN Security Council members -- the United States, France, Russia, China and Britain -- plus Germany met in London on Monday against a background of rising international tension over Iran's atomic plans.
"Suspending uranium enrichment is an illegal and illegitimate demand ... and it will never happen," Mottaki was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.
The United Nations imposed limited sanctions on Iran's nuclear program in December and Tehran faces possible further steps for ignoring a February 21 deadline to halt enrichment, which the West says Iran is using so it can make nuclear bombs.
Iran, the world's fourth biggest oil producer, insists it only wants to enrich uranium to make fuel for nuclear power plants.
"Iran is ready to show that its program is not being diverted to nuclear weapons and to give guarantees ... ," the foreign minister said.
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