Iran's new president Mahmood Ahmadinejad took office on Wednesday as Tehran postponed the resumption of its sensitive nuclear activities until Saturday.

"We hope to restart work by the beginning of next week when preparations are complete," chief nuclear negotiator and Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Hasan Rowhani told state television. The week starts on Saturday in Iran.

Iran has originally decided to restart the work at uranium conversion facility in the central city of Isfahan on Monday, but apparently backtracked as a result of the sharp warnings from the European Union (EU).

The EU said that Iran's resumption of suspended activities would bring the bilateral negotiations to an end and touch off a procedure to refer Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Shortly before the delay was announced, Ahmadinejad took over from his predecessor Mohammad Khatami with the confirmation of the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The new hardline president delivered few words on the nuclear crisis at the inauguration ceremony.

But Ahmadinejad has vowed to preserve Iran's legal right to peaceful use of atomic energy.

Challenged by Iran's stagnant economy and soaring unemployment, Ahmadinejad has to defuse nuclear crisis and bring the negotiations back on track.

Even if Iran refrains from resuming the nuclear work before the EU presents its proposal, it is unlikely that the EU would permit Tehran to continue its uranium enrichment program, which Iran suspended in November 2004.

On the other hand, it is unacceptable for Tehran to accept a proposal that denies its legal right to enrich uranium.

Source: Xinhua