Iran voiced determination on Wednesday to defend its rights on peaceful nuclear energy, threatening a referral of its case to the U.N. Security Council would mean the end of diplomatic efforts to defuse its nuclear crisis.

President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad said Iran has "the undeniable right" to develop nuclear energy and will not "succumb to bullying " by "fake superpowers".

Tehran is determined to develop nuclear energy "with the support of the scientists and young people of the Iranian nation," Ahmedinejad told a big rally, broadcast by state television, in Bushehr, capital city of the homonymic province in the south.

"Our nation will continue its path until full realization of rights on peaceful nuclear technology," he said.

Earlier, he said upon his arrival in Bushehr that any decision taken by the West against Iran's nuclear activities would not have any effect on the decision of Iranians, referring to a recent decision by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- and Germany to report Iran's nuclear case to the council.

The six concerned countries agreed at a London meeting late Monday that an upcoming International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board meeting on Thursday should report its decision on the steps required of Iran over its nuclear case to the Security Council.

"Europe and the West are closing their doors to negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and their decision can only lead to their isolation in the world community," Ahmedinejad was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.

"We do all we can to have wholesome political relations with them, but when they insist on their wrong moves we cannot do anything else," he added.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, condemning the six countries' London decision as prompted by political motives which could just "make the situation more complicated and difficult" when hopes still exist for finding reasonable solution to the dispute through diplomatic ways.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran did its best towards full transparency, removal of ambiguities and building confidence through its complete commitment to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the additional protocol and its voluntary implementation, allowing inspections and even measures beyond the protocol," the statement said.

"And while the negotiations path is still open and there are considerable opportunities to reach a rational solution, political motives make the situation more complicated and difficult," the statement stressed.

Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar also voiced determination of the militaries to defend the country's nuclear facilities against any attacks, warning of prompt and destructive counterpunches.

"The Iranian air force is able to cope with any aggression, and any attack against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities will be met with a quick and destructive counterpunch," Najjar was quoted by IRNA as saying in an air force base in Bushehr province, where Iran's first nuclear power plant is being built with Russia's aids and is scheduled to come on stream later this year.

In order to dissuade Iran from any moves that might escalate the crisis, a joint Russian-Chinese delegation arrived in Tehran Wednesday morning to explain the London meeting decision.

Moscow said the joint delegation's visit should not be viewed as pressure imposed on Iran.

On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki sniffed at the cautious diction of "report" in the London agreement, saying reporting or referring Iran's file to the U.N. Security Council has nothing of difference.

Mottaki also threatened to cease implementation of the additional protocol to the NPT on Saturday, namely blocking IAEA's snap inspections, if the London agreement was carried out at Thursday's IAEA meeting.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani also said on Tuesday that either referring or reporting Iran's dossier to the Security Council would mean an end to diplomatic efforts for defusing Iran's nuclear crisis.

The European Union (EU) expected that facing the risk of being hauled to the U.N., Iran could be pressurized to re-suspend its fuel research work which it defiantly resumed on Jan. 10.

Iran's resumption of nuclear research work prompted the EU trio of Britain, France and Germany to call for an emergency meeting of the IAEA board of governors on Thursday.

The United States accuses Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons and the EU has asserted that Iran's full mastery of nuclear fuel cycle technology will possibly lead to military usage.

Source: Xinhua