LONDON (AP) – Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday that Iran’s decision to resume nuclear activities caused “real and serious alarm” across the world and it was time to reconsider whether Tehran should be referred to the U.N. Security Council.

Iran broke U.N. seals on its nuclear enrichment facility Tuesday, prompting alarm from the United States and other Western countries who fear Iran is intent on developing a nuclear bomb.

Iran’s decision to restart its nuclear program, coupled with hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent inflammatory comments about Israel, “cause real and serious alarm right across the world,” Blair said.

Ahmadinejad recently called for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and said the Holocaust was a “myth.”

“The decision by Iran is very serious indeed,” Blair told the House of Commons. “I do not think there is any point in people, or us, hiding our deep dismay at what Iran has decided to do.”

Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, who have spent two years trying to persuade Iran to halt its uranium conversion and enrichment activities, are scheduled to meet in Berlin on Thursday to consider what steps to take.

Blair suggested it was important to consider whether Tehran should be referred to the Security Council for possible sanctions. He pointed out that the International Atomic Energy Agency had previously suggested a referral, but backed away because Iran had agreed to halt its nuclear activities.

“This is why it is extremely important therefore we take a fresh look at this now,” he added.

Gernot Erler, a German deputy foreign minister, cautioned Wednesday against referring the dispute to the Security Council, saying it could further destabilize the Middle East. He said Iran must offer fresh guarantees on its nuclear program for talks with European negotiators to continue.