( IRNA ) - Iranian Ambassador to Portugal Mohammad Taheri said in Lisbon on Monday that his country's nuclear activities were completely for peaceful purposes and conducted under supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Taheri's remarks came during an interview with the Portuguese news agency Lusa.
" Iran is a member of the IAEA. It adheres to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"Like other NPT signatories, Iran has the right to access nuclear technology for peaceful purposes," he said.
Pointing to current US moves to impose additional sanctions on Iran, he said Iran will not be intimated by these moves because it has already endured numerous sanctions in the past three decades.
On the other hand, "the country achieved technical, scientific and industrial progress during all these years of sanctions," Taheri pointed out.
In fact, Iran's "nuclear progress has been achieved indigenously and this has surprised the US which is why it staunchly opposes it," he said.
On Iran's nuclear standoff with the West, he argued that Iran was only exercising a right to which it is entitled and is trying its best to find a peaceful solution to the dispute.
Referring to media reports of a possible military strike on Iran, the ambassador said he believed the US and Israel would not dare attack the country because "they are aware of Iran's power." He said that the ongoing psychological war of the Western media was aimed to weaken Iran, and noted denials by top US officials of any plan by the US military to attack Iran.
" Iran is a peace-loving country and does not initiate conflict with any state.
"But in case of an attack, Iran will be fully ready to defend itself."
Taheri went on to say that Iran was keen to boost its political, economic, trade and cultural cooperation with Portugal.
He said Iran is open to Portuguese investment in the construction, oil (particularly constuction of refineries) and petrochemical fields.
" Tehran is also interested to cooperate with Lisbon in the paper, fisheries and agricultural industries."
He gave a synopsis of Iran's stances on latest developments in the region including the crises in Iraq and Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine.