TEHRAN: Iran will not back down on its nuclear stance despite the threat of tighter sanctions, Iranian media quoted a government spokesman as saying yesterday.
Britain, France, Germany and the United States are considering imposing sanctions that go beyond existing UN measures against Tehran over its nuclear program, a British diplomat said on Friday.
Western powers fear Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb, while Tehran says it seeks to master nuclear technology for electricity.
“Our stance would not change with sanctions or the threat of sanctions,” the students news agency ISNA reported spokesman Gholamhossein Elham as saying.
“It is important that our country is ready to insist on its rights under any conditions.”
Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States have led diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to freeze uranium enrichment. The US and Britain said on Wednesday the six had agreed to consider more UN sanctions against Iran after Tehran failed to halt enrichment, but Russia said there was no firm deal.
Bouteflika visit
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika yesterday started a visit to Iran at the head of a high-level political and economic team, the IRNA news agency said.
Bouteflika, who last visited the Islamic republic in 2003, is expected to meet from today with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.
