Iran to hold right to uranium enrichment: Lawmaker

The right to uranium enrichment inside the country is Iran's red line in the upcoming nuclear negotiations with world powers, a senior Iranian lawmaker has said.

"The Iranian nation's right to use peaceful nuclear energy and enrichment ... inside the country are regarded as our red line," reported Xinhua citing spokesperson for the Majlis (Iranian Parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Hossein Naqavi-Hosseini.

"No one has the right to cross or negotiate over the Islamic establishment's red lines," said the lawmaker alluding to the upcoming talks between Iran's nuclear negotiating team and the P5+ 1 group.

The US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany or, the P5+1 group will resume talks with Iran on the nuclear issue in Geneva Oct 15-16.

Iran insists on nuclear enrichment as its right for peaceful nuclear activities; however, the West suspects that the enrichment programme may be used to develop weapon-grade activities.

Washington should take "practical, positive and confidence- building" steps in the negotiations, the Iranian lawmaker said, urging that the US to remove sanctions against his country.

Unfreezing Iran's assets, removing sanctions and lifting " illegal" bans against Iran are among the basic confidence-building measures that Washington should take, he added.