President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday boasted that Iran had defeated world powers in the standoff over its nuclear drive and would never give up its right to an atomic programme.

"With the help of God, the Iranian nation with its unity, faith and determination stood and defeated the world powers and brought them to their knees," he told a rally in the southern city of Bandar Abbas broadcast on state television.

"World powers should know the Iranian nation considers nuclear energy its undeniable and definite right and will not accept any imposition or any additional cruel rules," he added.

Ahmadinejad's comments are the latest indication Iran has no intention of ceding to the main demand of world powers that it suspends uranium enrichment operations, which the West fears could be used to make nuclear weapons.

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The speech came ahead of a key report later this month by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei which is to give details on Iran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran's refusal to halt enrichment has already seen it slapped with two sets of UN Security Council sanctions and the United States is pressing the body to agree a third package of measures.

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