Most of countries in the world believe that "nuclear energy should be taken away from the hands of a few powers," Khamenei told thousands of people in the city of Semnan, some 250 km east of Tehran.

"The United States just opens their mouth and closes their eyes, and says what they want, such as the world is against enrichment, but no, it is you (the U.S.) who doesn't understand and doesn't see the world," said the supreme leader, referring to Iran's uranium enrichment work that has been opposed by the United Nations.

"The Iranian nation has challenged the deception of Western countries and will proceed ahead vigorously," Khamenei added.

Iran announced in late October that it had fed gas into a second cascade of centrifuges at a uranium enrichment facility and obtained the product.

The United States has been seeking to impose sanctions on Iran through the UN Security Council on the grounds that Tehran is developing a nuclear-weapon program under the guise of a civilian-use program.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and voiced hope for talks on the nuclear standoff. But the Islamic Republic rejected a prerequisite of suspending nuclear work for such talks.