West cannot push Iran around, says ex-president

THE West cannot push Iran around as it has Libya and Iraq, a former Iranian president said yesterday.

Delivering the Friday prayers sermon at Tehran University, Hashemi Rafsanjani also criticised the UN nuclear watchdog for urging Iran to suspend its conversion of uranium ore into gas.

The International Atomic Energy Agency expressed "serious concern" on Thursday over Iran's decision to resume uranium conversion, a step before the enrichment of uranium - which produces material that can be used both for generating electricity or making atomic bombs.