TEHRAN, April 26: Iran’s supreme leader boldly warned the United States on Wednesday that it would be “harmed” across the globe if it decided to attack the Islamic republic over its disputed nuclear programme.

The stern warning came as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed the regime would resist any UN Security Council demands for a halt in uranium enrichment, at the centre of fears the country could acquire nuclear weapons.

“The Americans should know that if they launch an assault against Islamic Iran, their interests in every possible part of the world will be harmed,” Ayatollah Khamenei was quoted as saying by state television.

“The Iranian nation will give a double response to any strike,” the top cleric warned in one of his toughest threats ever.

The UN Security Council has given Iran until Friday to freeze enrichment work, which makes what can be fuel for civilian nuclear reactors but also material for a bomb.

Iran has rejected the demand, insisting it wants only to generate electricity. The deadlock could open the door to UN economic sanctions or even military action, something the United States has not ruled out.

“The alert and decisive nation and government of Iran... will not pay attention to these threats,” Mr Khamenei said in a speech to factory workers in Tehran.

The previous day, Mr Khamenei had also said the Islamic regime was ready to share nuclear technology with other countries. The US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said this showed “how irresponsible Iran is and why it represents, in our view, a grave threat of proliferation.”

Iran president meanwhile repeated that the oil-rich country “won’t back down one iota” in the worsening crisis — which has already helped nudge world oil prices to record highs.

“If international institutions respect our legitimate rights, we will respect their decisions. However, we will not regard these decisions as valid if they are intended to deny us our rights,” Mr Ahmadinejad told the IRNA news agency.—AFP