Ahmadinejad also indicated in the interview given in Teheran that his country would resist mounting pressure to withdraw its civilian nuclear programme. He said any attempt to take away the country's rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty might cause it to reconsider complying with the treaty, which is aimed at preventing the spread of atomic weapons and promoting international cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

Referring to last week's UN Security Council resolution threatening sanctions on Iran, the Iranian president said: 'The only conclusion I can draw is that they are bullying us. They want to impose their will on us. They really are not looking for a dialogue.'

He said the council was an instrument at the disposal of the United States and certain European countries that they were using to threaten Iran.

'They want to place a Damocles' sword on our head so that we give up eventually, but they have miscalculated,' the president said. 'The time for such behaviour is past, ... and they will regret the miscalculation they have made today.'

Reiterating that Iran's nuclear activities were peaceful, developed indigenously and conducted within International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, Ahmadinejad said: 'If they decide to use instruments at their disposal to put pressure on us to limit our activities and try to take away what is rightfully ours and to distort our rights, obviously we are going to change our mind.'

The Iranian leader said the time when weapons of mass destruction determined the course of political and human relations was in the past. 'There are only a few big powers that want to speed up the arms race, and of course, the reason they are interested in this is to line their own pockets,' he said.

The Iranian president also said that the recent fighting in Lebanon, whose Hezbollah militia Tehran is accused of funding and training, would change the ongoing equation in the region. He said there were developments that were yet to unfold and hoped these would lead to a just and durable peace.

'Having said that, once you look at the arena and also the behaviour shown by America, Britain and the Zionist regime, this dream, this hope, sometimes seems far-fetched,' he added.

As China's Xinhua news agency reports, Iran will continue its nuclear work "to the maximum scope" within the non-proliferation regime, but will give a reply to an international nuclear offer by Aug. 22 as announced, Iran's ambassador to Russia said on Thursday.

Tehran views as "unlawful" the latest UN Security Council resolution on Iran, which urges the country to stop uranium enrichment by Aug. 31, Gholamreza Ansari said, quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency.

"Therefore we don't recognize the demand that we suspend uranium enrichment in view of absence of violations on our part," Ansari said.

"Iran intends to continue work in the nuclear field to the maximum scope in accordance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," Ansari said.

"We are resolved to continue our activity within the framework of IAEA rules," the diplomat said, referring to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.