"Enrichment is our right and we believe that suspension is an illegal request. We will continue on our path in a normal way," foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi told reporters.

On Saturday, the Security Council adopted resolution 1835 urging Tehran to suspend enrichment but it offered no new sanctions and merely reaffirmed existing ones.

Enrichment is at the heart of Western fears that Iran could be seeking nuclear weapons as it can be diverted to make the fissile material for an atomic bomb as well as fuel for nuclear power plants.

The United States and its European allies had pushed for tougher sanctions but ran into resistance from Russia and China. Iran insists its nuclear programme is strictly peaceful and solely aimed at generating electricity.

Ghashghavi's comments coincided with the opening of the International Atomic Energy Agency's annual conference with a showdown looming over efforts by Iran and its regional ally Syria to get a seat on the IAEA board.

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