Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday stayed defiant on the country's nuclear program, warning that the Western countries can not isolate the Iranian people through more sanctions.

Addressing a large crowd in Iran's central city of Yazd, Ahmadinejad said "you (the West) want to isolate the Iranian nation by using the institutions you created, and want to force the people to yield, but you are wrong."

"You can not hurt Iran and will be more hated, don't think you can sit and draft to make Iranian people isolated, it's the Iranian people who isolated you," he asserted.

Meanwhile, the president once again vowed to continue its uranium enrichment work despite the West demand.

"The Iranian people are standing up and will defend their rights as one...they know the path that leads to greatness," said Ahmadinejad.

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and certain Iranian press recently have requested the current government to soften its tone on the controversial atomic program to avoid a second UN Security Council sanctions resolution.

However, Ahmadinejad Tuesday strongly hit back the internal critics, saying "Iran can not obtain sympathy from the West through soft talking and pleading."

The six major nations, namely, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have been discussing a new Security Council draft resolution against Iran after the Islamic Republic defied the Feb. 21 deadline prescribed by the Security Council for it to halt uranium enrichment.

The consultations have been dragging on for two weeks in New York and a new text is expected to come out soon.

New punitive measures against Iran would include an expanded travel ban on officials involved in the nuclear program, an arms embargo, and tightened economic and financial sanctions, according to UN diplomats.

British Ambassador to the UN Jones Parry has said that the six nations had achieved "substantive progress."

Washington has accused Tehran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian program, a charge that Iran denies.

(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2007)