Visiting Russia's atomic agency head Sergei Kiriyenko voiced yesterday his support to Iran's right to pursue peaceful nuclear activities, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.

Any country in the world has the right to develop peaceful nuclear industries and that "holds true for Iran," Kiriyenko told a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

However, the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons should also be observed, said Kiriyenko, who is making a visit for an Iran-Russia Economic Commission meeting in Tehran.

"The right for use (of nuclear energy) and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons should be definitely observed. Of course it is too hard to mix the two points but a breakthrough should be found," Kiriyenko said.

The Russian official held that Iran's nuclear case should only follow the diplomatic course for a political solution, adding "Iran's nuclear case should be settled diplomatically and in this connection, Russia's stances are the same both in words and action."

"Russia will never yield to imposition and Iran's nuclear case should have only a political solution," Kiriyenko stressed.

For his part, Mottaki reiterated Iran's determination to develop a full nuclear fuel cycle, saying "we have already developed our nuclear facilities and access to relevant technology has been materialized by Iranian scientists."

"Iran aims to access nuclear fuel cycle. However, this does not interfere with our assessment of other proposals," Mottaki said, adding that Iran was still studying Russia's proposal to set up a uranium enrichment company in the Russian territory.

Mottaki, meanwhile, praised that implementation of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant marks an expansion of Iran-Russia relations.

"Bushehr nuclear power plant project will be on the agenda of the meeting between Kiriyenko and head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh," he added.

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, says it needs to enrich uranium as a peaceful, alternative energy source and has the right to do so under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

However, the West has accused Iran of trying to produce nuclear weapons under a civilian cover, a charge has been denied by Tehran.

Due to Iran's resistance to suspend uranium enrichment, the European countries and the United States have been seeking a UN Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on Tehran.