Iran to retain absolute nuclear rights

TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated Iran's resolution to retain its absolute nuclear rights, the State IRIB TV website reported on Sunday.

"The Iranian nation will never give up its fundamental rights," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying during a visit to the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi.

Ahmadinejad's remarks came as the Islamic republic and the world's major powers are preparing for a meeting on Iran's nuclear program with the hope to take steps to resolve the decade-long deadlock on the issue.

Hegemonic powers are making efforts to put obstacles in the way of Iran's development and the Iranian people will never be deceived by alien powers, said the Iranian president.

Last week, Ahmadinejad said that the Islamic republic would not retreat an iota from its rights under pressure of sanctions.

Talking in the northeastern city of Torbat-e Jam, Ahmadinejad said that "they (the West) should know that this nation will not retreat even an iota from its inalienable rights," reported the local satellite Press TV on Thursday.

The last round of nuclear talks between Iran and the UN Security Council's five permanent members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- plus Germany (P5+1) concluded in Turkey's Istanbul in April, with all sides describing the talks as positive and agreeing to meet again in the Iraqi capital on May 23.

On Sunday, a senior Iranian official said that no hasty decisions should be made in the upcoming nuclear talks with the world's major powers, Press TV reported.

Mohammad Nahavandian, Chairman of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines, stressed the importance of gradual confidence building as a process in the course of the talks.

Nahavandian said the P5+1 should work to bring about the removal of the sanctions on Iran as a "first step" in its next round of negotiations with the Islamic republic.

The parties involved in the negotiations can build confidence in the field of economy because win-win approaches can be developed in this area, he said.

"Instead of beating the drum of sanctions, the two sides can experience areas of common interest and move towards positive confidence-building in economic cooperation," Nahavandian was quoted as saying.

Iran is ready to hold constructive talks as long as there are " fair" conditions and the rights of the Iranian nation are heeded, he added.

The Baghdad meeting should also pave the way for mutual understanding and trust instead of making use of threats, said the Iranian official.

On Saturday, Iranian lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said that the upcoming nuclear talks in the Iraqi capital Baghdad would fail if the West calls on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

"If the issue of the suspension of uranium enrichment is raised in Baghdad, the talks will fail. The P5+1 is well aware of this point," Falahatpisheh was quoted as saying.