TEHRAN, March 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah AliKhamenei said Thursday the United States and Europe want to block the country's development because they are hostile to its nuclear technology progress.

    Khamenei said the United States and Europe are united in seeking to ban the country from enriching uranium, a move he said will prevent its scientific progress.

    "The reason the United States and Europe are hostile to Iran progressing in the field of nuclear technology is because they do not want the Iranian people to progress," the official IRNA news agency cited him as saying.

    The leader added that the Iranians should work to resist the hostility.

    The United States accuses Iran of using atomic energy as a cover for weapons development. Iran denies US allegations, and says its nuclear program is solely geared to generating electricity.

    In order to persuade Iran to halt its highly sensitive uranium enrichment, the European Union (EU) has offered a wholesale of economic and technological incentives.

    Iran and three big EU countries -- France, Germany and Britain -- have concluded three rounds of talks since Tehran suspended uranium enrichment activities last November.

    However, the two sides failed to reach agreements on key issues,including Iran's construction of reactors. Enditem