TEHRAN, June 18: Iranian President Mohammad Khatami refused to buckle in face of international pressure for tougher inspections of his country’s nuclear programme on Wednesday, while also demanding France extradite detained members of a banned opposition group.

Mr Khatami spoke at a press conference soon after Kenneth Brill, US ambassador to the Vienna-based IAEA, said Iran’s nuclear programme is reason for “grave concern” as it points to the development of weapons.

“The US expects the agency’s accumulation of further information will point to only one conclusion — that Iran is aggressively pursuing a nuclear weapons programme,” Mr Brill said in a speech to an IAEA meeting in Vienna considering a report on Iran’s alleged failure to honour international agreements on reporting nuclear material.

At the press conference, President Khatami insisted Iran would not accept tougher UN inspections of its atomic programme unless other signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty agree to provide it technical assistance.

“We don’t want any special favour,” the president said. “We just want our rights according to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, in which all signatories have the right to civil nuclear technology and are bound to give technical assistance to other signatories.

“Not only do we not have assistance, but we have also been hit by sanctions,” he added, deflecting intense pressure on Iran to sign a protocol to the treaty that would allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to conduct surprise probes of suspect sites.

Iran is now subject only to pre-arranged inspections of declared sites, but has been accused by the United States of using its atomic energy programme as a cover to develop nuclear weapons.

But before signing up to the additional protocol, the president said: “We want to be recognized as a country that possesses nuclear technology, and also the assurance that we will not be subjected to a politically-motivated operation, baseless accusations and permanent pressure.”

Iran, which has consistently denied it is seeking a nuclear arsenal, has accused the United States of conducting a psychological war against it — of which the nuclear issue is just a part.

But the IAEA, European Union, United States, Australia and G8 leaders have all told Iran to show more than only sites it has decided to declare.

Even Russia, which is helping Iran construct its first nuclear plant in the southern city of Bushehr, has added to the calls for a “confidence-building” gesture.

Mr Khatami also demanded that France extradite members of the armed People’s Mujahedeen opposition group detained on Tuesday in a crackdown, which has triggered a storm of protest in Paris among the group’s supporters.

“Given that the Islamic republic has been a victim of the actions of these people, its natural demand is that they should be tried where they committed their crimes, or at least where they committed most of their crimes,” the Iranian president said.

France “has respected its responsibilities as a member of the European Union which declared this group terrorist. This is what we have been expecting”, Khatami said.

“But if we want to fight against terrorism, this fight must be global,” he added.

Mr Khatami also turned up the heat on Washington, which has neutralized but not dismantled Mujahedeen bases in Iraq.

“We have the same expectations from the United States, which has also declared this group terrorist. Unfortunately the attitude of the Americans regarding this group in Iraq is suspect and leaves us suspecting, despite their assertions to the contrary, that they want to use them against us,” Khatami said.

RIGHT TO PROTEST DEFENDED: On the domestic front, the president defended Iranians’ right to hold protests but condemned violence, whether caused by demonstrators or hardline groups.