Iran defiant

Iran's president insisted on his country's right to nuclear technology yesterday despite facing what Washington called a "moment of truth" over a programme that could produce atomic weapons.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments suggested Tehran may have already decided to reject offers of incentives and negotiations from six of the world's top powers in return for ending atomic fuel activities.

"Pressure of some Western countries to force Iran to abandon its right (to nuclear technology) will not get a result," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

Although Ahmadinejad did not mention uranium enrichment, Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said Iran's plans included such sensitive work.

"Iran is determined to go ahead with its nuclear enrichment work for peaceful purposes," he told students news agency ISNA.

But US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice still held out the possibility she would meet Iranian officials in what would be the highest-level such face-to-face contact since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Washington cut ties with Iran in 1980.

"It depends of course on what Iran does," she told National Public Radio in one of a series of interviews. Washington says Iran must stop atomic fuel work before any talks.

"If Iran is prepared to verifiably suspend its program and enter into negotiations, then we'll determine the level (of representation) but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the ministers meet at some point," she said.

Iran was facing a "moment of truth", she told CBS. Highlighting US fears about Iran's intentions, Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte told BBC Radio Iran could have an atomic bomb as early as 2010 and accused Tehran of being the top state sponsor of terrorism.

The White House said Ahmadinejad was just staking out "negotiating positions" and expected Iran to "take a careful look" at a basket of incentives, approved by the US, British, French, German Russian and Chinese foreign ministers at a Vienna meeting on Thursday, before officially responding.

European officials will give Iranian officials a detailed presentation of the incentives in the next couple of days and a formal answer was hoped for within weeks, White House spokesman Tony Snow said.