Ahmadinejad: West not brave enough to come clean

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says some Western countries are using Iran's nuclear program as a pretext to put pressure on the Islamic Republic.

In an interview with Britain's Channel 4, Ahmadinejad said that Iran opposes the expansionist policies being pursued by certain Western countries, adding that this was the real reason behind their animosity towards Iran.

"Some Western countries are using Iran's peaceful nuclear program as a pretext for imposing sanctions and [passing] resolutions against the Iranian nation," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying on Thursday.

"It would be better if they were brave enough to openly declare that they are against the Iranian nation because it is an obstacle to their expansionist policies in the world," the Iranian president said.

He noted that Tehran had voluntarily offered to buy nuclear fuel from the West to provide them with an opportunity to cooperate with Iran.

"Based on the [IAEA] regulation they are obliged to provide Iran with nuclear fuel without setting any preconditions," Ahmadinejad added.

Article III of the IAEA Statute clearly states that the agency, if requested to do so, should act as "an intermediary for the purposes of securing the performance of services or the supplying of materials, equipment, or facilities by one member of the Agency for another."

He noted that the West is setting "political conditions" for a nuclear swap deal with Iran.