Related News Story: Oil flow to be affected if US makes wrong step: Iran

    TEHRAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah AliKhamenei said on Sunday that if the United States makes a "wrong step" over Iran, oil flow in the region would be affected.

    If you (Washington) make a wrong step over Iran, energy flow in the region will certainly be endangered," Khamenei said in a speech broadcast on state television.

    "You (Washington) will be unable to secure the energy flow in this region," he stressed.

    Khamenei also declared that Iran would not give up its right to peaceful nuclear energy in the face of "threats and bribes" and praised efforts by Iranian nuclear scientists in developing peaceful nuclear technology.

    "We have achieved a lot of scientific goals and this is a resource that our late imam had saved for us," Khamenei said in the speech marking the 17th anniversary of the death of Iran's Islamic revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Iran is close to the Hormuz Strait, which is a strategic waterway that controls oceangoing traffic to and from the oil-rich Gulf states.

    Iran, a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is the world's fourth largest oil producing country.

    Khamenei made the threat one day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Tehran was ready to hold "fair and unconditional" talks with the West over Iran's nuclear issue.

    Ahmadinejad also said that Iran would decide, on the basis of Iran's national interests, on a new European proposal aimed to solve the standoff over the nuclear issue.

    Foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council--the U.S., France, Britain, Russia and China--plus Germany agreed Thursday upon the European offer of incentives if Iran halts uranium enrichment and punishments if Tehran does not comply.

    EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is expected to convey the offer to Iran soon. No details about the proposal have been unveiled.

    Meanwhile, during a phone call with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Saturday, Ahmadinejad reasserted that Iran was ready to hold talks on its nuclear program, adding that Iran preferred the negotiations to be held "democratically without any precondition or any threat."

    Annan, on his part, said that continued negotiation was the only way to help settle Iran's disputed nuclear issue, according to Iran's state media.

    "I understand that Iran is opposing any threat to its national security and I have drawn attention of the U.S. and Europeans to the fact that Iran is right to dismiss any threat concerning the nuclear program," the U.N. chief was quoted as saying. Enditem

    Iran reiterates absolute right to enrich uranium

    TEHRAN, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated on Saturday the country's absolute right to enrich uranium that will not be discussed with anyone.

    "Nuclear technology, particularly the production of nuclear fuel, is part of our absolute rights," Ahmadinejad said in a televised address, adding that "we will not discuss these rights with anyone."

    As for the new proposals offered by six world powers in a bid to persuade Tehran to halt the nuclear program, the Iranian president said "we will wait to see these proposals before taking a decision that is in our national interests."

    The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany made an offer to Iran in Vienna on Thursday, aimed at persuading Iran to meet the international demands to halt its uranium enrichment.

    The Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki disclosed earlier on Saturday that the European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana will visit Tehran soon to present the new proposal without giving a schedule.

    The proposal includes both incentives and penalties to Iran if it suspended uranium enrichment to pave the way for negotiations. But no details about the incentives have been unveiled.

    On Friday, Ahmadinejad also vowed that "pressure of some Western countries to force Iran to abandon its right (to nuclear technology) will not get a result."

    U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice offered on Wednesday that Washington would join European countries in talks with Iran if Tehran suspends enrichment.

    But Iran insisted that the country will not accept any precondition for talks with Washington.

    The United States and European countries claim that Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to produce nuclear weapons.

    Tehran has repeatedly denied the charge, saying its nuclear program is merely to generate electricity, not bombs. Iran has repeatedly said that it will not give up its right under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel for power plant. Enditem