STOCKHOLM, May 7: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Monday the country had no intention of suspending its nuclear programme in line with a Swiss plan aimed at ending a stand-off with the United Nations.

Diplomats have said Switzerland has put forward a staged plan leading to a simultaneous suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment work and of U.N. sanctions, which would enable talks between Iran and six world powers to begin.

“The red line is in suspension ... a suspension is not in our agenda,” he told a news conference in the Swedish capital when asked about the Swiss proposal.

Apart from the suspension request in the Swiss proposal, “the remaining part is possible”, he said after giving a speech to three Swedish international relations organisations.

He was met at the speech venue by about 100 protesters, who hurled eggs at the doors of the building.

The protesters were mostly Iranians living in Sweden who are opposed to the Islamic state.

Iran says Western fears that it harbours a secret atomic bomb project are unfounded and that it is enriching uranium in order to generate electricity.

Two sets of United Nations sanctions have been imposed on Iran since December. Major powers have warned that a third, tougher resolution might be needed if Tehran does not halt sensitive uranium enrichment.

Mottaki insisted in the speech that his nation's nuclear programme was for peaceful purposes and that it had been as open as possible to inspections from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“If there is nothing wrong, then you cannot make any punishment,” he added in the speech. “If nuclear energy is good for others, why not for Iran?”

Despite the standoff over its nuclear plans, he said Iran had no intention of withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Talks over mending the fraying treaty in Vienna face collapse as Iran accuses the United States of authoring an agenda for the meeting which aims to single out Tehran as the main NPT offender.

Mottaki told the news conference that a compromise could be reached if “some specific parties” accepted more responsibility.—Reuters