Foreign Minister Manouchehr Motaki, however, said his government is trying its best to avoid confrontation but would not give up its right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

"We are not looking for a nuclear bomb. We do not need a nuclear weapon. It is not in military doctrine," the Iranian Minister told reporters here on the last day of the UN General Assembly session.

States, which had previously used nuclear weapons and are testing new generations of such arms posed "greater danger to global security," he said.

The US and its allies believe that Iranian nuclear programme is geared towards a weapons programme and want it to abandon uranium enrichment.

The US is conducting a "kind of psychological war" for last two years and saying military option is on the table, Motaki said.

But "our analysis is clear. US is not in a position to impose another war in our region against their taxpayers," the Iranian minister said, adding "we have tried to brief our friends in the region" about Iran's effort to avoid confrontation.

Asked why Iran needs nuclear energy when it is sitting on one of the prime petro-puddles, the Minister posed a counter question as to why the US, with its own oil resources, is getting 25 per cent of power from nuclear power plants.

"If it is good for the Untied States, why is it not good for Iran? If it is bad for Iran, why you do not follow the same policy in your country," Motaki said.

It is the right of all mankind, he said, to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as well as a clean form of power.

As a State party to the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran enjoys the right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Motaki said Iran believes in elimination of all nuclear weapons across the board. "We are a principled nation and we follow our principles."

The US and its European allies are pressing for a third round of tougher UN sanctions against Iran but have been forced by Russia and China to put off a decision till mid-November, till the the UN atomic watchdog, IAEA, submits its report.

Asked about Iran's ability to sustain sanctions, Motaki said pressuring States to keep them from realizing their rights is not a solution to any problem.

"Political reasons had motivated some countries to put Iran's nuclear programme before the Security Council.

"Sanctions would be unjust and they would not work," he asserted. Stating that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the right place to discuss the Iranian nuclear programme, Motaki said Tehran's replies to a list of questions from IAEA about its nuclear programme would meet with the "satisfaction" of the Vienna-based agency.

Asked why Iran needs nuclear energy when it is sitting on one of the prime petro-puddles, the Minister posed a counter question as to why the US, with its own oil resources, is getting 25 per cent of power from nuclear power plants.

"If it is good for the Untied States, why is it not good for Iran? If it is bad for Iran, why you do not follow the same policy in your country," Motaki said.

It is the right of all mankind, he said, to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as well as a clean form of power.

As a State party to the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran enjoys the right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Motaki said Iran believes in elimination of all nuclear weapons across the board. "We are a principled nation and we follow our principles."

The US and its European allies are pressing for a third round of tougher UN sanctions against Iran but have been forced by Russia and China to put off a decision till mid-November, till the UN atomic watchdog, IAEA, submits its report.

Asked about Iran's ability to sustain sanctions, Motaki said pressuring States to keep them from realizing their rights is not a solution to any problem.

"Political reasons had motivated some countries to put Iran's nuclear programme before the Security Council.

"Sanctions would be unjust and they would not work," he asserted. Stating that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the right place to discuss the Iranian nuclear programme, Motaki said Tehran's replies to a list of questions from IAEA about its nuclear programme would meet with the "satisfaction" of the Vienna-based agency.

But "technically", Motaki said, he did not know how long it would take for all those questions to be answered.

"We do believe that the issue is being considered in its rightful and appropriate place, that is, the IAEA," he added.

The Minister said his country is committed to transparency in all parts of its (nuclear) activities, explaining that its nuclear programme went back 50 years, well before its revolution, to a contract signed with the United States for a 23,000 megawatt nuclear power station.

"Our Parliament has given a mandate to the Government to produce 20,000 megawatts of electricity," he added. "Nuclear energy by all the State parties to the NPT should not be considered a threat."

Asked whether China could play a mediating role as it had done with North Korea, he said the two issues were completely different.

"In North Korea, they are talking about nuclear weapons and in Iran we are talking about nuclear energy. This is peaceful."

He went on to underline two main elements of Iran's position -"realizing that it had a right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, and the need to avoid ambiguities or doubts about its intentions".

Asked to clarify a remark by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Tehran will fill the vacuum created if the troops the foreign troops were to leave Iraq, Motaki said gulf countries, including Iran, were in a position to protect stability in that region.

That was a "major" Iranian policy, underpinned by Security Council Resolution, which referred to regional security by regional countries.

As for Afghanistan, Motaki said the situation "there is complicated, security is a problem, and the only alternative to Afghan President Hamid Karzai is civil war".

Therefore, the international community must support him.