"The time has come for the Islamic Republic to take a final decision and get out of the NPT, if the US and European pressures and games continue," Mohammad Kiarashi said in the report.

"Current circumstance could result in Iran's nuclear case being sent to the UN Security Council, giving the US legitimacy to take action against Iran," warned the former representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"The more obligations we accept, the deeper we sink into this quagmire," Kiarashi warned.

At the end of 2003, Tehran signed up to an agreement with the IAEA providing for surprise UN inspections of its nuclear sites to fend off US accusations that it is secretly working on a nuclear weapons program.

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