Iranian President Mohammad Khatami stressed on Wednesday that Iran will never give up its right to get access to peaceful nuclear technology, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Iran has repeatedly told the Europeans that it will not forsake its right to get access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes," Khatami was quoted as saying after a cabinet meeting.

Khatami expressed optimism toward the outcome of nuclear talks despite its slow pace, saying Iran was ready to enter dialogue with Europe as well as other countries.

"The Europeans would suffer more than Iran if they decide to succumb to US pressures," Khatami said.

On US President George W. Bush's Tuesday remarks that the United States was not ready to attack Iran, Khatami said "the Americans have now come to realize that they are making unacceptable claims, which persuade them to regret their remarks."

Dismissing the possibility of a US attack, Khatami stressed Iran was also determined to make the United States pay a high price for its "crazy behaviors."

"The possibility is very slight, but I'd like to say that the Iranian government and people would make Washington regret for its crazy behaviors," Khatami said.

Iran has held three rounds of nuclear talks with the European Union since it suspended its uranium enrichment activities last November.

However, the two sides failed to reach agreements on key issues such as Iran's building of a nuclear reactor.

Washington has accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons secretly, threatening to launch preemptive attacks on Iran and urging to refer the country's nuclear case to the UN Security Council.

Bush, who refused previously to rule out military attacks against Iran, said on Tuesday in Brussels that an allegation that the United States was ready to attack Iran was "simply ridiculous."