On a visit to fellow Muslim nation Indonesia, Ahmadinejad also accused the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), of double standards and working under the influence of the United States, Britain and France.
“Every country has the right to defend its right in accordance with the agreed way,” he said during a meeting with Islamic scholars in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
“But we think this issue is far from possible,” he added when asked what he would do if Iran was attacked because of its nuclear programme.
“This whole thing is just psychological propaganda, but they know the Islamic republic nation of Iran is a strong nation. I think they have better sense than to have a war with Iran,” he added.
Speculation over a possible military strike arose last month after U.S. President George W. Bush said that “all options are on the table” to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Tehran says it only wants to produce low-grade enriched uranium to use in atomic power reactors, not the highly enriched uranium needed to make bombs.
Washington and its European allies have been seeking a U.N. Security Council resolution that would oblige Iran to halt all uranium enrichment work or face possible sanctions.
Ahmadenijad told Muslim scholars that the Bush administration was a “failure of democracy”.
SPEECH AT MOSQUE
The head of the IAEA on Thursday welcomed moves to avert possible U.N. sanctions against Tehran and appealed for compromise after Ahmadinejad said he was ready to talk.
Mohamed ElBaradei said he was also pleased the U.N. Security Council was holding off from sanctions against Iran as Europeans work on a package of benefits to induce Tehran to cooperate.
The Iranian leader said the IAEA was being used by major Western powers.
“The IAEA has acted against its original mission because of pressures from the powerful countries,” he told the clerics at the Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Muslim organisation in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Islamic nation.
Ahmadinejad kicked off his visit on Wednesday by meeting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and during his visit he has received an enthusiastic welcome from officials to students, who have voiced their support for Iran’s nuclear project for energy.
Ahmadinejad joined Friday prayers at Jakarta’s Istiqlal mosque where he delivered a short speech.
“I believe that Islam surely will win and all of you surely will win,” he told about 2,000 worshippers, some of whom tried to mob Ahmadinejad while others took his pictures with their mobile phones.
Economic ties are a major focus of the trip, particularly in the oil and gas sector. Iran and Indonesia are members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, is on good terms with Iran and other Middle East countries as well as with the West and has offered to mediate in the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Ahmadinejad is due to fly to Bali on Friday for a meeting of the Developing Eight group that also includes Indonesia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
(Additional reporting by Telly Nathalia)
