Iran will not give up nuclear rights: Rouhani

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Tehran will not retreat an iota from its right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

"Iran has never sought nuclear weapons and will not do so as this is the fatwa (religious decree) of the leader and also our country's commitment," Xinhua reported Wednesday citing Rouhani while referring to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran is not seeking weapons of mass destruction either since Tehran has joined all international conventions banning the use of such arms, Rouhani said, adding that Tehran will not back down from developing peaceful nuclear technologies.

"We, as a country which persistently insists on defending its rights, will not budge an inch on our rights as we won't allow an inch of our territory to be encroached upon," he said.

"We have never launched aggression against any country and have no intention of doing so, whatsoever," the president said.

In November, Iran and the P5+1 group -- the US, Russia, Britain, France and China plus Germany -- reached an interim agreement whereby Iran would freeze part of its nuclear programme in exchange for limited easing of sanctions which had hurt its economy.