A top Iranian diplomat reiterated Iran's determination to continue its nuclear program regardless of the international pressure, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.

"No political act by any state can deprive Iran of its legal and inalienable right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful uses, " Mehdi Danesh-Jafari, Iran's deputy representative to the United Nations, was quoted as saying in the UN headquarters in New York.

Jafari made the remarks in an address delivered to a committee of disarmament and international security at the UN General Assembly.

The diplomat said no international document on disarmament sets limitations on one country's right to pursue peaceful nuclear activities.

"There is no justification to limitations sought to be imposed on rights of Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) member states to obtain access to peaceful nuclear technologies," Jafari said, stressing that Iran, a signatory to the NPT, will honor its commitments and will cooperate with the international community " as it has done in the past."

Iran is currently under mounting pressure from the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, to suspend its uranium enrichment-related activities, a key step toward building nuclear fuel cycle.

However, Tehran insists it will never give up its legal rights to peacefully use nuclear energy.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian programs, a charge categorically denied by Tehran.

Source: Xinhua