Cleric says Iran nuclear case important 'test'

"These countries should know that it will be in their favor to establish cordial ties with the Iranian nation. They should be cautious not to be drawn into the camp of Iran's enemies," the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Tehran's Interim Friday Prayers Leader Seyyed Ahmad Khatami as saying.

He pointed to the West standoff over Iran's nuclear energy program, saying, "As we have repeatedly announced, enemies should know that the Iranian nation considers the country's nuclear case closed."

"The Iranian nation will never give up its right to develop nuclear energy one iota," he added.

The cleric said the row over Iran's nuclear program was "a test to distinguish friends from foes."

"It added dark pages to the history of the US and Britain in the mind of the Iranian nation," Khatami said.

He underlined that Iranians have now become more familiar with the "vicious plans" of countries like the US and Britain.

/Press TV/