Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday dismisses the newly-adopted UN Security Council resolution that imposes sanctions on Tehran as a piece of "trash paper," local Fars News Agency reported.

"Today they (the Western countries) just aim to scare the Iranian people with this piece of trash paper," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

"Iran is a nuclear country and it is in their interests to live with Iran," he added.

Ahmadinejad made the remarks just one day after the UN Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear activities.

According to the official IRNA news agency, the Iranian president also said that the UN Security Council will soon regret imposing sanctions against Iran.

"This will not harm the Iranian people, but the issuers (of the resolution) will soon regret this superficial and useless act," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has said Iran will begin installing 3,000 centrifuges at a uranium enrichment plant as of Sunday in response to the UN Security Council resolution, the Kayhan newspaper reported.

"As of today, we will start the activities at the site of the 3,000 centrifuge machines in Natanz and we will drive it with full speed," Larijani was quoted as saying.

"This is our immediate response to the UN Security Council resolution," he added.

The resolution demanded that Iran "suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development," and "work on all heavy water-related projects."

It also called on all countries to impose a ban on trade with Iran in goods related to its nuclear programs and ballistic missile delivery systems.

The United States has long accused Iran of trying to produce nuclear weapons under a civilian cover, a charge denied by Tehran.  

Iran has said that it needs to use nuclear power as a peaceful, alternative energy source and has the right to do so under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in late July, urging Tehran to suspend by Aug. 31 all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, or face possible sanctions.

Due to Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, European countries and the United States had sought a new resolution to impose sanctions on Tehran.

(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2006)