Iran 's insistence that new United Nations sanctions won't affect its nuclear program show that Iran isn't "going in the right direction," the French foreign ministry said Thursday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki wrote to the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council and told them the latest measures "will not affect [ Iran 's] utterly peaceful nuclear program," the IRNA news agency reported.

The Security Council last month voted in favor of imposing a fourth set of sanctions against Iran over its uranium enrichment program, the most controversial aspect of the nuclear drive.

French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said "very clear messages have been addressed to Iran so that it finally agrees to engage in talks on its sensitive activities."

"The letters received from Manouchehr Mottaki are not going in the right direction. What we expect from Iran is that it addresses the concerns of the international community with concrete measures," he said.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

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