TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran threatened on Friday to block inspections of its nuclear sites if confronted by the U.N. Security Council over its atomic activities. The hard-line president reaffirmed his country’s intention to produce nuclear energy.

France, Britain and Germany quickly responded that they were not demanding sanctions against Tehran just yet.

On Thursday the three countries, backed by the United States, said that nuclear talks with Iran had reached a dead end after more than two years of acrimonious negotiations and the issue should be referred to the Security Council.

However, they refrained from calling on the 15-nation council to impose sanctions and said they remained open to more talks.

For her part, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a “strong message” had to be sent to Tehran but said she was not ready to talk about what action should be taken to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Iran responded Friday by saying that if it were confronted by the council, it would have to stop cooperating with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

That would be, among other things, the end of random inspections, said Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

“In case Iran is referred to the U.N. Security Council …, the government will be obliged to end all of its voluntary cooperation,” the television quoted Mottaki as saying.

Iran has been voluntarily allowing short-notice IAEA inspections since 2003.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed talk of possible sanctions and said Iran will “continue the path of production of the nuclear energy.”

“Iranian people do not allow foreigners to block their progress,” state-run radio quoted him as saying.

Last year Iran adopted a law requiring the government to block intrusive inspections of Iran’s facilities if the IAEA refers the Iranian program to the council.

The law also requires the Iranian government to resume all nuclear activities that it had stopped voluntarily, foremost among them enriching uranium.

France said Friday that it favors a step-by-step approach with Iran over its nuclear program and that any sanctions request at this stage would be premature.

“We, like our partners, like the British and the Germans, consider that this co-request for sanctions is premature for the moment,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said.

Germany also said that talk of sanctions against Iran is “premature.”

“For now, we want to consult with our partners _ above all, to bring on board those who of course will be indispensable partners in Vienna at the IAEA and later in New York,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger said. The IAEA is based in Vienna.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he had “strong suspicion” that Iran wanted to build a nuclear bomb but stressed that there was no categorical evidence to prove that.

“To quote the White House `Iran is not Iraq’,” Straw said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp.

He added that while Iran could face Security Council sanctions for resuming its nuclear activities, military action is not being considered.

The calls to refer Iran to Security Council were made two days after Iran removed some U.N. seals in the presence of IAEA inspectors from its main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, central Iran, and resumed research on nuclear fuel.

Iran said it was resuming “merely research” and that “production of nuclear fuel” _ which would involve enrichment _ “remains suspended.” But the IAEA said Tehran also planned small-scale enrichment of uranium, a process that can produce fuel for nuclear reactors to generate electricity or material for nuclear weapons.

“I recommend to European countries that they should separate the issue of research from production of nuclear fuel and not make propaganda over research which is natural and normal but had unjustly been subject to suspension in the past,” Mottaki was quoted as saying.

Mottaki said Iran was prepared for talks with Europeans over uranium enrichment.

“If they have any discussion in the stage of nuclear fuel production, we are prepared to continue our talks with the three European countries,” he said.

Mottaki, however, insisted that Iran won’t give up its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to possess the whole nuclear fuel cycle _ from extracting uranium ore to enriching it.

“No one can take this right from the Iranian nation. Regaining this right doesn’t require permission from any country,” the television quoted him as saying.

Europe’s negotiations with Iran has been aimed at getting Iran to permanently abandon uranium enrichment but Iran says it won’t give up its right under the treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel.

Russia renewed its call for Iran to resume its moratorium on nuclear activities and cooperation with the IAEA.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said Russia was “attentively considering” proposals to call a special session of the IAEA to determine the next steps, including whether to refer Iran to the council.

Moscow has signaled its readiness to drop its resistance to a longtime U.S. push to refer Iran to the council for possible sanctions over its alleged nuclear weapons bid.

Israel applauded the plan to bring Iran before the Security Council.

“We believe the combination of fanatical ideology together with nuclear weaponry is a combination that no thinking person can feel comfortable with,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.

Israel considers Tehran to be its greatest threat, and recent statements by Ahmadinejad calling for Israel’s destruction have added to those fears. Israeli officials have repeatedly said international diplomatic pressure is the best way to end Iran’s nuclear program, with military action considered only as a last resort.

China urged restraint and called on Iran to do more to build mutual trust and promote the resumption of talks.