TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday France's call for EU sanctions against Tehran outside of the UN framework was illegal and the Islamic Republic would not back away from its nuclear activities.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner sent a letter to his European Union counterparts this week, appealing to the 27-nation bloc to take a lead in widening financial sanctions on Iran.
Kouchner sparked controversy last month by saying the world should prepare for the possibility of war with Iran over its atomic program, prompting Tehran to summon France's charge d'affaires in protest. Iran says its plans are peaceful.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki, speaking on a talk show on state television, described Kouchner's letter as ""baseless"" and said he would respond with his own letter.
""I will soon, in the next few days, send him a letter and will send a copy of it to his European counterparts, the foreign ministers of the European Union, and will remind (them) how illogical and illegal comments by Mr Kouchner were,"" he said.
""They should receive one clear message and that is that on this issue Iran's right (to obtain nuclear technology) cannot be traded. This is not something that anyone in the Islamic Republic will retreat from.""
Six major powers last week delayed a UN vote on tougher sanctions on Iran until late November at the earliest. Russia, which holds a veto in the UN Security Council, backed the case for more negotiations with Tehran.