"We will continue on our course and will not allow arrogant powers to encroach on the rights of the Iranian people," he said. "No threats [from the West] will force the Iranian people to retreat [from their right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes]."
Tehran urged on Saturday the six countries mediating in the Iranian nuclear problem to respect Tehran's right to civilian nuclear energy.
"At a recent meeting in Kuwait with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband, he told me the Iran Six intends to send us a letter [with proposals to settle the Iranian nuclear problem] after the May 2 London meeting," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told journalists.
"I told him in response: you know very well which word is forbidden in Iran. Be careful in your proposals," he said, without specifying what he meant.
Local observers say Mottaki implied that the "suspension" by Iran of its uranium enrichment program was the "forbidden word." He was, they say, making it clear that Tehran would reject any initiatives that contain a demand for Iranian authorities to impose a moratorium on uranium enrichment.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that new sanctions against Iran had not been discussed at the regular round of six-nation talks on Iran's controversial nuclear program in London on Friday.
Miliband said on Friday that world powers engaged in the long-running dispute with Iran have agreed to offer new incentives to Tehran in order to persuade it to halt its nuclear programs.
The U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany proposed to Tehran in June 2006 cooperation in civilian nuclear technology, trade and other spheres in a bid to persuade Tehran to give up uranium enrichment and resume talks with the Iran Six group of negotiators.
The Islamic Republic rejected the 2006 incentives. It has also defied three rounds of relatively mild UN Security Council sanctions imposed over its refusal to halt nuclear-related activities.
Many Western nations suspect Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program. Tehran insists it needs uranium enrichment technology to generate electricity
