Iran yesteray accused the western countries of keeping trying to impede it from developing science and technology by using the issue of its nuclear programs.

At a press conference after a meeting with Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, visiting Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi asked for joint faith against the developed countries' discrimination of the developing countries in the field of science.

"It is strange why the countries which have already owned nuclear weapons and even have used the weapons, persistently boycott and impose sanctions to all scientific researches in Iran," he said.

"We must be hand in hand to struggle and to eradicate the scientific apartheid, which is now becoming an habit in the world," said Zahedi, explaining that the scientific apartheid is a scientific discrimination imposed by the developed countries to the developing countries.

"I would like to say that the usage of nuclear energy for the peaceful purpose is the right of every nation which should properly be defended. And we, as a sovereign nation, do not allow other nations to interfere our domestic affairs. We have right to take a decision," said Zahedi.

On Monday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected growing Western pressure to give a speedy response to a new proposal on Iran's nuclear issue.

Western countries have asked Iran to respond to the package offered on June 6 by the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany, while Iran said it would give the response in mid-August.

The package includes incentives to encourage Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, a process the West says Iran is using to make atom bombs.

It also contains penalties if Iran, which insists on its right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, rejects the offer.

Indonesia supports Iran nuclear program for the peaceful purpose, according to the Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda.