Iran says to continue nuclear program, dismissing US incentives

Iran reiterated determination Saturday to continue building nuclear fuel cycle, saying US incentives can not entice it into abandoning rights to nuclear technology.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to use peaceful nuclear technology, and it will never give up the legitimate right under any pressure, threat or allurement," Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said in a statement in Tehran.

"The compensation and correction of some faults and the lifting of some unfair sanctions will never make Iran give up its legitimate right," Asefi said.

Asefi was referring to Friday's statement by the US Department of State that Washington had decided to drop its objection to Iran's entry application to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to consider Iran's access to spare parts for the country's overused civilian aircraft.

"The lifting of bans on spare parts of civil aircraft should have not been imposed from the beginning, and the entrance to the WTO is the right of all countries," Asefi said, stressing that the two measures should not be viewed as incentives.

The United States, accusing Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons, has urged to refer the country's nuclear case to the UN Security Council.

However, US President George W. Bush indicated last month Washington was willing to cooperate with the European Union (EU) to encourage Iran to stop its sensitive nuclear activities by offering incentives.

Tehran has finished four rounds of nuclear talks with the EU,but the two sides failed to reach agreements on many key issues.

A report signed by foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in Brussels Friday threatened to support a referral of Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council if nuclear talks fail.

Xinhua