TEHRAN, March 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran on Saturday guaranteed that its first nuclear power plant is safe with advanced technology, denouncing a U.S. allegation on its radiation risk as political.

    "The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is equipped with a highly advanced safety system, and the concern raised by the U.S. over the possible radiations from the plant is a political issue," said Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Larijani made the comments to reporters from some Arab media, who just visited the Bushehr nuclear plant on Wednesday, reported the official IRNA news agency.

    Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, Iran's first nuclear plant being constructed with Russia's aid, is expected to come on stream later this year or in early 2007.

    The nuclear power plant is located in a port city in the southern coastal province of Bushehr, which has caused concerns of several Arab countries looking north towards the plant across the Gulf.

    Worries of the concerned Arab countries were further fuelled by some recent U.S. accusations on the radiation risk of the plant. Larijani slammed Washington for pursuing other goals by exaggerating the possibility of radiation at the Bushehr plant.

    The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons secretly, a charge rejected by Tehran as politically motivated.

    The top security official and chief nuclear negotiator also reiterated that Iran would not return to a moratorium on its activities related to uranium enrichment as required by the European Union and Russia.

    "Suspension of research and development of uranium enrichment is unacceptable to Iran, given that we have gained the relevant expertise and the nation's determination to continue the process," Larijani said, adding that Iran expects its rights on peaceful nuclear technology to be officially recognized.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors will convene on Monday with the Iranian nuclear issue top on the agenda.

    The agency in early February adopted a resolution to report Iran's case to the UN Security Council but called on the powerful UN nuclear watchdog to withhold punitive actions until the agency's meeting in March.

    Larijani on early Saturday just returned home after a diplomatic tour to Vienna, where he held discussions with foreign ministers of the European trio of Britain, France and Germany and the IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

    However, the talks failed to yield a tangible breakthrough over the current nuclear deadlock.

    The tension over Iran's nuclear issue came after Tehran resumed nuclear fuel research work on Jan. 10 and the crisis escalated as Iran disallowed the IAEA's snap inspections and resumed small-scale enrichment work, a retaliative move against the IAEA resolution. Enditem