Iran's supreme leader vowed Tuesday there was no going back on its nuclear programme in the face of heightened US pressure as Tehran resumed talks with Russia aimed at finding a way out of the stand-off.
"Using nuclear technology is an obligation and a national demand; any going back in the nuclear field is the same as losing the country's independence - which will have a very high price," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on state television.
"Any retreat will open the way for a series of endless pressure and never-ending backdown. The way (chosen by Iran) is with no return," said the all-powerful supreme leader.
Khamenei rejected accusations by the Western countries who have urged Iran to suspend sensitive nuclear activities due to the Islamic regime's years of concealment.
"The main motive of the United States and the countries that follow in its footsteps are to prevent Iran from obtaining its right to master advanced technology," he said.
"In their propaganda, they say Iran has concealed its nuclear activities; this is irrational, as no countries announce to the public the research activities until they succeed... like what the Islamic Republic of Iran has done."