Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that Tehran is only one step away from celebrating victory in its peaceful nuclear program, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Ahmadinejad made the remarks in a speech to residents of the northwestern border city of Baneh, according to IRNA. During the speech, the Iranian president promised that this "great celebration" would come before the end of the current Iranian year which ends on March 20, 2007.

Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iran would not retreat "an iota" from its nuclear right in spite of mounting pressure from its "enemies".

"They want to keep their monopoly on nuclear energy and thereby dictate on nations, however, they should know that the people of Iran will resist and will defend their legitimate right," Ahmadinejad said, adding "resistance is the key to victory."

On Tuesday, the Iranian president said that time was moving in favor of his country on its nuclear issue and at the moment Iran had gained complete nuclear circulation.

"Time in nuclear issue is moving in favor of us, in near future, perhaps in the current year, we can celebrate the complete access to nuclear technology," Ahmadinejad told reporters at his fourth personal press conference since he became Iran's president.

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.