Italy on Friday urged the international community to be unified in confronting Iran over its nuclear program following the Central Asian country's threats to stop cooperating with the UN's atomic watchdog if it is referred to the Security Council.

During a radio interview, Italy's Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said Iran's decision to go ahead with its nuclear research program and the recent statements made by Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad were "intolerable threats."

"The international community must react with a great deal of firmness and unity," Fini said.

The best path to follow, he concluded, is for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution "similar to the one which forced Syria to face its responsibilities."

Iran removed UN seals at its Natanz nuclear research facility on Tuesday paving the way for a resumption of research into uranium enrichment. The move attracted condemnation from the European Union, the United States and many other countries.

On Thursday, Germany, France and Britain called for Iran to be brought before the UN Security Council to face possible sanctions for resuming its nuclear research.

Iran on Friday threatened to stop cooperating with the UN atomic watchdog if its nuclear program is referred to the Security Council.

Ahmadinejad responded by saying the government would not give "one iota" on its nuclear program, especially over efforts to master the fuel cycle process.

"They (the Europeans) tell us to give up nuclear energy (development) and in return promise to give us the nuclear fuel... but they do not even give us vital medicines, how can we trust them...," Ahmadinejad was quoted by the student news agency ISNA as saying.

"The government will not back down one iota on defending people's rights," Ahmadinejad said.

Source: Xinhua