The treaty was "not conceived just for Iran or Third World countries and sooner or later all IAEA member states will have to sign up," Ali Akbar Salehi told the government daily Iran.

"I hope that we can overcome the problem by the next IAEA board of governors meeting in September through the measures that top officials are going to take in the coming month," Salehi said, adding that he felt "confident".

Salehi rejected concerns among hardliners here that the additional protocol would allow IAEA inspectors to stick their nose in everywhere and said it would ease the diplomatic pressure on the Islamic regime.

"We are currently in a situation in which the protocol can help us settle some problems and close the political file opened on our nuclear activities," he said in reference to US-led criticism.

Earlier this month, EU foreign ministers expressed "increasing concern" over Iran's nuclear programme and warned that the bloc would review relations with Tehran unless it cooperated fully with the IAEA.

Salehi warned there was a real danger the IAEA might refer Iran's case to the UN Security Council, as threatened by the regime's arch-enemy, the United States.

"I hope that our leaders can sort things out before the next board of governors' meeting so that we don't see the same international consensus against Iran that there was at the last one (in June)," he said.

"The pressures on Iran's mission are growing by the day because the West has formed a practically united front among the 35 members of the board."

SPACE.WIRE