TEHRAN, 24 September 2004 — Iran said yesterday dialogue was the only way to resolve an international standoff over the republic’s nuclear program which Washington says is a cover for building atomic weapons.

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Iran had no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons and was ready to remove concerns over its nuclear dossier, state television reported.

“The only way to resolve Iran’s nuclear issue is through dialogue, not pressuring Tehran,” Kharrazi told Iran’s state television at the United Nations.

“Nobody can force a powerful country like Iran to abandon its right of peaceful nuclear technology,” Kharrazi added.

Iran rejected a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calling on the country to suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to build an atom bomb.

Washington says Iran plans to use enriched uranium to develop nuclear weapons. Iran rejects the charge, saying its nuclear program is dedicated solely to generating electricity.

The United States, European Union and Russia have urged Iran to comply with the IAEA demand and suspend its uranium enrichment.

President Muhammad Khatami on Wednesday said Iran was willing to forsake UN supervision and go it alone on its nuclear program in case of mounting international pressure.

Iran said it has begun converting 37 tons of raw “yellow cake” uranium to process it for use in centrifuges, which experts say could eventually yield enough material for five nuclear warheads.

Kharrazi had earlier warned that his country would react “most severely” to any Israeli strike against its nuclear facilities.

“Israel is always a threat not only against Iran, but all countries in the Middle East,” Kharrazi said after talks in New York on Wednesday with his British counterpart, Jack Straw. “Be sure that any action by Israel certainly will be reacted by us most severely.”

Kharrazi said he had “a very good discussion” with Straw on the nuclear issue as well as relations between the two countries.

Britain, along with France and Germany, has been pressing Tehran to provide guarantees that its nuclear program would not be turned into a quest for nuclear weapons.

“I believe there are concerns on all sides,” the Iranian minister said. “There are concerns on the European side, and we have to arrive to some conclusions that will be acceptable to both sides to overcome this impasse.”

He said he believed there were “ways and means how to make both sides happy,” but added, “Nobody can deny our right, which is using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.”

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said earlier that the United States had no plans to attack Iran to thwart what it claims is the Islamic republic’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, but has not formally ruled out any options to deal with the matter.