Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Sunday vows to continue his country's nuclear drive amid international pressure for a halt, just two days after the world powers said they would present Tehran a new package of incentives to conclude the crisis, the state media reported.
"Iran will not allow the arrogant countries to deny the nation' s right... we have chosen our path of perfection, honor, complete independence," Khamenei was quoted as saying.
"Threat cannot make us retreat on the path," he added.
Germany and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China met on Friday and said they would give Iran a new package of incentives in exchange for a nuclear suspension.
The details of the new package have not been made public yet.
However, in the past years Tehran has repeatedly said it would not bow to Western pressure over the country's "legal right" for uranium enrichment work, a key nuclear process whose product could be fuel for power plant or could be made into an atomic bomb.
The UN Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions against Iran and demanded a halt of the enrichment work, but it was rejected by Tehran.
Iran has said its nuclear drive was just for peaceful purposes, but the U.S. and its Western allies have accused Tehran of developing nuclear weapons under a civilian cover.
(Xinhua News Agency May 5, 2008)
