Iran's Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani says the Islamic Republic's scientific progress, particularly its nuclear achievements, is worrying the country's "enemies."
Addressing University students in Iran's northern Mazandaran Province on Sunday, Larijani called on Iranian students to gear up for "scientific Jihad" in order to face obstacles created by the nation's enemies, Press TV reported.
The Iranian official cited the country's nuclear program as part of its scientific Jihad, highlighting the West's hostility towards Iran's scientific progress in the field of nuclear technology.
The United States and its Western allies have been accusing Iran of seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of peaceful nuclear activities, forcing Iran to relinquish its nuclear activities including the country's enrichment program.
Tehran, however, argues that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty it reserves the right to continue its enrichment activities, insisting that all its nuclear work is under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"Some years ago a European official told me that Iran is a huge country and you are spending your time on something that causes friction, but if you abandon that, Europe and the US will cooperate with you," Larijani said.
"This claim is not true because they don't want us to make progress and if they talk about negotiations, it's for amusement," he explained.
The top legislative official further cited vigilance of Islamic countries as the source of the West's anxiety towards them.