Iran taunts the US, gloats over the Europeans’ silly “agreement,” and mocks the toothless IAEA: Iran hails UN nuclear ‘victory’.

A top Iranian official has claimed a “great victory” over the US after the UN said it would not punish Iran’s nuclear activities with sanctions.

Hassan Rohani said Iran would never give up its right to nuclear power. He stressed its freeze in uranium enrichment was only temporary during talks with European countries.

The UN atomic agency IAEA has welcomed Iran’s offer to freeze enrichment in a statement on Monday that did not mention any threat of future sanctions.

Washington had been pushing for Iran to be censured by the UN Security Council.

Mr Rohani said the “whole world had turned down America’s calls”.

“We have proved that, in an international institution, we are capable of isolating the US. And that is a great victory,” Mr Rohani said.

He added that the US representative at the IAEA meeting in Vienna “was enraged and in tears, and everybody said that the Americans had failed and we had won”.

It was Iran’s first direct comment on the nuclear controversy since the IAEA resolution on Monday.

According to Mr Rohani, Iran’s offer to suspend uranium enrichment would only apply for the duration of talks with the EU.

“We are talking months, not years,” the cleric and head of Iran’s top security body said.