( Reuters ) - Iran will not be harmed by more U.N. sanctions over its nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday after the United States and other powers said they would push for further U.N. steps.
Ahmadinejad was speaking in an interview with state television after an International Atomic Energy Agency report said on Friday Iran was being more transparent about its nuclear plans but was not doing enough to clear up all suspicions.
Western nations accuse Iran of seeking to build atomic bombs, a charge Tehran denies.
The United States, which is leading efforts to isolate Iran, said the report was a good reason to impose more U.N. sanctions.
"If they want to continue with that path (of sanctions), we will not be harmed. They can issue resolutions for 100 years," he told state television.
He said those leading the bid to impose sanctions, an apparent reference to the United States, and its allies could not "bring the Iranian nation to its knees."
"If they continue (with this pressure), we have designed reciprocal actions," he said without elaborating.