Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave his backing to proposed talks between US and Iranian officials on Iraq, but warned that the US must not try to "bully" Iran.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in Mashhad 924 km east of Tehran, yesterday
It was the first confirmation that the ayatollah, who holds final say on all state matters in Iran, was in favour of talks.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
His comments came as US president George Bush said he favoured the talks, in which he said American officials would show Iran "what's right or wrong in their activities inside of Iraq".
The ayatollah said yesterday that "if the Iranian officials can make the US understand some issues about Iraq, there is no problem with the negotiations".
"But if the talks mean opening a venue for bullying and imposition by the deceitful party (the Americans), then it will be forbidden," he said in a speech in the north-eastern city of Mashhad, aired on state television.
He added that he was ready to reject any UN attempts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear technology, which he described as an "absolute right".
"We had experience of the Security Council [threats] at the time of the [Iranian] war with Iraq. Whatever is against the interest of the country we will not accept.
"We emphasise that nuclear technology and the nuclear fuel cycle is our absolute right," the ayatollah Khamenei added.
The Security Council and Germany will keep searching this week for a strategy to deal with Iran's nuclear programme.