[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani said on Monday Iran saw little benefit from its membership of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki lashed out at the United Nations atomic watchdog for implementing "law of the jungle."As Britain and Germany threatened more sanctions, Mottaki said Tehran will continue to enrich uranium, the most controversial aspect of its nuclear program, a day after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government declared plans to build 10 new enrichment plants.
Russia said it was seriously concerned by the proposal for a major expansion of Iran's atomic program. Washington has condemned the plans as a "serious violation" of Tehran's obligations under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Monday's comments by Larijani, an influential conservative politician, were a further sign of deteriorating relations between Iran and world powers seeking a diplomatic solution to a long-running row over Iran's nuclear programme.
Last week the U.N. nuclear agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) rebuked Iran for building a uranium enrichment plant in secret.
"I believe that their moves are harming the NPT the most ... now whether you are a member of the NPT or pull out of it has no difference," Larijani told a news conference.
The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said the decision to build the new enrichment plants was direct response to the IAEA condemnation.
"This decision was the result of the recent (IAEA) resolution, and Iran's government sent a strong message," said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, quoted by state broadcaster IRIB.