Iran Won't Retreat On Nukes

Iran's hardline leaders said Tuesday their country would not retreat from its controversial nuclear program despite international demands that it do so.

The announcement from both Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came a day after North Korea said it conducted a nuclear weapons test.

"Our policy is clear: Progress, offering transparent logic and insisting on the rights of the nation without retreat," state-run television quoted Khamenei as saying.

Ahmadinejad echoed his defiance, affirming that Iran would continue its nuclear program, which it says is solely for peaceful purposes.

"The Iranian nation will continue its path of dignity based on resistance, wisdom and without fear," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

Iran stood apart Tuesday from the chorus of global criticism condemning North Korea, instead blaming Washington for the communist country's test.

Many analysts said the North Korean test could embolden Iran to pursue its program, especially if the United States fails to reach consensus on how to react against the Asian country.

Khamenei said Iran would not bow to international demands that it suspend uranium enrichment. Tehran had rejected an Aug. 31 deadline set by the U.N. Security Council that it suspend enrichment or face possible sanctions.

The supreme leader said because Iran had previously voluntarily suspended its desire to enrich uranium three years ago, it would not consider doing so again.

"If we had not experienced that path perhaps we would have criticized ourselves today. But now, we will pursue with a strong heart," Khamenei said.

At the urging of European countries, Iran stopped its pursuit to enrich uranium in November 2003. But after talks collapsed in August 2005, the Islamic Republic resumed uranium reprocessing activities.

In February, Iran for the first time produced enriched uranium - a low-enriched batch using 164 centrifuges.

Iran has said it plans to install 3,000 centrifuges by the end of the year at its uranium enrichment plant in the central Iranian town of Natanz. Large-scale production of enriched uranium in Natanz would require 54,000 centrifuges, which spin uranium gas into enriched material.

Uranium enriched to low levels is used to produce nuclear fuel, but it can be used to develop nuclear weapons if it is enriched at higher levels.

Though Iran contends its nuclear program is for generating electricity, the U.S. and some of its allies allege it is secretly developing atomic weapons.