Iran's nuclear programne is peaceful and has no military purpose, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said this morning.
Mr Ahmadinejad, speaking during a visit to Indonesia, added he was ready to engage in dialogue with anybody.
He also said it was "ridiculous" for countries with nuclear arsenals of their own to be pressing Iran to curb its effort to develop nuclear energy.
"We also possess the technical and other capabilities to defend our interests," Mr Ahmadinejad added. "Any mistreatment of the Iranian people will actually cause more losses to them," he said without elaborating.
Washington and its European allies have been seeking a UN Security Council resolution that would oblige Iran to halt all uranium enrichment work or face possible sanctions.
But this week the drive for a resolution slowed as Washington agreed to first let Europeans devise a package of benefits to induce Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions and sanctions if it does not.
Consequently, there might not be a decision on a draft UN resolution for about two weeks.