Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed in an exclusive interview with German public broadcaster ZDF on Monday that pressure won't resolve the nuclear question, IRNA reported.
'The nuclear issue can't be resolved by pressure. Iran's right has to be respected and
recognized and you have to talk to Iran,' reiterated Iran's chief executive.
'We are for dialogue. We think dialogue is always better than quarrelling and war. This is the logic of the Iranian nation,' Ahmadinejad added.
He emphasized again his country's readiness for cooperation on the nuclear issue. 'We have always been ready for cooperation ... and are still ready now to have cooperation.'
Ahmadinejad lambasted western sanction policy against Tehran, branding it 'wrong.' The Iranian president reaffirmed his country's opposition to having a nuclear bomb, saying such a weapon was a relict of the past century. He labeled a nuclear bomb 'an inhuman and immoral weapon.'
'We are against an atomic bomb, we would never build one. When we say we don't want to build a bomb we mean it.'
Ahmadinejad made clear that while his country was not looking for a war with any country, it was ready to defend itself against any military aggression.
'We will defend, if we are attacked. We are a great nation and powerful', he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad accused the UN nuclear watchdog of being biased against Iran when it comes to its nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is 'not working independently but is under the political influence of the great (western) powers,' he lamented.
'The agency (IAEA) wants us to prove we are clean. But how can you prove you are clean?,' he added
Ahmadinejad who said his country should no longer be subjected to an ongoing discrimination in the Vienna-based UN nuclear agency.
He emphasized while Iran has been cooperating with the IAEA it has not only faced further
punishment but also a deadly terror wave against its scientists.
Ahmadinejed held the IAEA responsible for leaking 'secret information to Iran's enemies.'
He urged the UN nuclear body to treat Iran fairly within the framework of its laws and regulations and respect its nuclear rights.