TEHRAN, April 16: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed on Monday that Iran would not give in to Western demands over its nuclear drive, saying Tehran would “resist to the end” in the intensifying crisis.

“The Iranian people will resist until the end on acquiring their rights and will not shift an inch,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the southern city of Shiraz broadcast live on state television.

“The Iranian nation will not be dissuaded in its drive and the Iranian nation is standing united on this,” he told a cheering crowd of thousands gathered in a sports stadium for the rally.

Ahmadinejad's remarks appear to confirm that Iran has no intention of yielding to international demands that it suspend uranium enrichment work, a process the West fears could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Iran's defiance has already earned it two sets of UN sanctions and Ahmadinejad warned that if further sanctions were imposed Tehran would announce more progress in its nuclear drive, without specifying further.

Tehran just last week said that its uranium enrichment work was now at an “industrial scale,” although international observers have cast doubt over what stage its nuclear programme has reached.

“The Iranian people will stand firm on the nuclear issue to acquire all their rights, will continue solidly to reach the summits of perfection and will raise their fists to insist on their rights,” Ahmadinejad told the crowd.

In a typically pugnacious speech -- his first such public address since the crisis with Britain over the 15 captured navy personnel -- Ahmadinejad also warned world powers not to misuse the UN Security Council.

“Do not misuse the international organisations that you yourself have built. You cannot create a crack in the will of the Iranian people.

“Give up your bullying methods! Otherwise rest assured that you will lose and you will impose great losses on your nations. What did you gain in Iraq, what did you gain in Palestine and Lebanon?” he asked.

“With the issuing of each new resolution our country will reveal new progress in the nuclear field,” Ahamdinejad said in a later speech in the town of Kazeroun, the Fars news agency reported.

“If they want, they can issue a new resolution so that our nation will reveal a new achievement.” The United States has refused to rule out the option of military action to bring Iran to heel should sanctions fail to work. Iran insists that its nuclear programme is peaceful.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Monday arrived in Jordan on the first stage of a Mideast tour that officials said was aimed at countering Iran's influence in the region.

“The best way to confront Iran is to confront Iranian behaviour in Iraq” a senior defence official said. The trip will focus on “how we can work with strategic allies in the region” to achieve that goal.

The Iranian army's top commander meanwhile warned on Monday that any aggressor would be “destroyed” by Iran.

“We intend no harm to others, but if they want to harm us we will destroy the enemy and the enemy knows this,” Attaollah Salehi said.—AFP