Ahmadinejad: N- talks impasse can only hurt West, embolden us

Teharan: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that an impasse in nuclear talks between world powers and Iran would only hurt the West by making Tehran push harder to advance its technology.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments can be seen as a veiled threat that Iran would go ahead with enriching uranium to a higher level should negotiations with the international community fail.

"Cooperation with Iran is in the West's interest" while pressures on the our nation would only make the country "more powerful and advanced," Ahmadinejad said, according to a statement posted late on Sunday on the presidential Web site.

Later Monday, an adviser to Ahmadinejad, Parviz Davoodi, warned that Iran cannot fully trust the West, especially France, citing past nuclear controversies with Paris.