Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday pressed the government to resume uranium enrichment activities suspended last November, semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

A letter to President Mohammad Khatami signed by 175 of the 290 Majlis (parliament) members called on the government "to implement the law passed by the Majlis and approved by the Guardian Council as quickly as possible," the report said.

The Majlis on May 15 passed a law demanding the government continue its efforts to get access to peaceful nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment.

In the letter, the lawmakers said the current negotiations with the European Union (EU) was "only a waste of time."

"Promise by the European trio of Britain, France and Germany to present new proposals to Iran on solving the nuclear stand-off in the coming months is a victory for Tehran, but the EU could also waste more time by making an unacceptable proposal," said the letter.

Meanwhile, Majlis Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel said the Majlis would make the necessary decision if Europe wasted time in nuclear negotiations.

Iran held a key round of talks with the EU on May 25, in which the two sides just prevented the deadlocked nuclear negotiations from going further into crisis by virtually prolonging the talks to wait for the result of Iran's presidential elections on June 17.

During the talks, the EU proposed to present a comprehensive plan within the next two months for all-out cooperation with Iran in different areas including technical and nuclear issues, according to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani.

The current deadlock was blamed on EU's repeated rejection to Iran's demand of keeping restricted enrichment activates.

Tehran in late April threatened to resume uranium enrichment activities, which it suspended last November to pave the way for talks with the EU.

The EU responded by warning to back US call for referral of Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council, which might lead to sanctions.

The United States has accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran rejects the charge and insists that its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2005)