'Iran not to bow to pressure on nuke issue'

It was his first reaction to a package of proposals drawn up by Britain, France and Germany and backed by the United States, Russia and China.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday his country would not bow to international pressure over its controversial nuclear program, state television reported.

HT Image

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not bend to these pressures, and the continuation of this scientific progress is its fundamental and basic right," Khamenei said, talking to the staff of the Iranian Nuclear Energy Organization.

It was his first reaction to a package of proposals drawn up by Britain, France and Germany and backed by the United States, Russia and China in a bid to defuse the crisis over Iran's nuclear plans.