Iran has right to having civilian nuclear technologies as a signatory to the nonproliferation treaty, visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku on Thursday.

"We insist on this. This is the decision of the Iranian people. The world community should not ignore the rights of countries to civilian nuclear power development. We hope that the UN Security Council will not adopt a resolution on Iran," Mottaki was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

Mottaki described the discussion of Iran's nuclear problem in the UN Security Council as a political decision. He believes that Iran's civilian nuclear policy is "a technical issue."

"Iran's nuclear program should be discussed at the International Atomic Energy Agency, ... The technical side of nuclear power should not be politicized by any single country," he said.

He compared the current tensions over Iran's nuclear problem with those that flared 55 years ago, when Iran nationalized the oil industry.

"Then this issue was high on the agenda of the UN Security Council. It was claimed that nationalization of Iran's oil industry was aimed against international security and the world in general," Mottaki said.

Mottaki pointed out that Iran was ready to maintain cooperation with the IAEA in all areas.

France and Britain, backed by the United States, introduced Wednesday a new draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding Iran suspend all enrichment activities immediately or face possible sanctions.

Iran insists its activities are solely for energy purposes but the United States and some other countries claim it is clandestinely seeking to produce nuclear weapons.

Source: Xinhua