Iranian top nuclear envoy Ali Larijani said in a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao Friday that Iran is committed to peaceful use of
nuclear technology.

"We oppose obtaining nuclear weapons and we will peacefully use nuclear technology under the framework of the Nonproliferation Treaty," he said. "But," he warned, "if we are threatened, the situation may change."

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Larijani also said Iran's situation is "totally different" from that of North Korea, which conducted its first atomic test Oct. 9. International talks aimed at Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament have failed.

"North Korea already has nuclear weapons, we are not after nuclear weapons," Larijani said. "It is not part of our doctrine, political or national doctrine, to go after nuclear weapons.

Hu Jinato urged Iran to give a "serious response" to UN sanctions for its nuclear program, applying rare diplomatic pressure on the regime. He said that the sanctions, which bar all countries from selling materials and technology to Tehran that could contribute to its nuclear and missile programs, reflect "the shared concerns of the international community."

"We hope Iran could make a serious response to the resolution," Hu told
Larijani, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Hu also said that "China continues to believe the Iranian nuclear issue should be resolved through diplomatic negotiation."

China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has been in a
difficult position. While it wants Iranian energy supplies to fuel the
fast-growing, power-hungry Chinese economy, it also has a desire to work with the United States, which suspects Tehran's nuclear program is being used to develop weapons.

Washington has led the drive to stop Iran from enriching uranium - a process that produces the material for either nuclear reactors or bombs - but it compromised on the sanctions to win the support of China and Russia, Iran's major trading partners.

The resolution, passed last month, also froze the assets of 10 Iranian
companies and 12 individuals related to those programs.

In Tehran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Friday that sanctions won't stop Iran from enriching uranium, state-run television reported.

"Iran will stand up to coercion. ... All Iranians stand united to defend their nuclear rights," state-run TV quoted him as saying.

"Enemies have assumed that they can prevent the progress of the Iranian nation through psychological war and issuing resolutions, but they will be defeated," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying on state-run TV.

Larijani, who was in Beijing for a two-day visit, also delivered a letter from Ahmadinejad to Hu although details of the contents were not released. Chinese state television showed the two men shaking hands and talking at the cavernous Great Hall of the People, the seat of China's legislature in the heart of Beijing.

Larijani indicated Friday that China's decision to support the resolution has not hurt ties between the two sides, calling them "long-term and
long-lasting."

"Countries who have strategic long-term relationships will not change their strategic relationships because of tactical issues," he said at a news conference. He added in reference to Washington: "We know who is really responsible, who is really behind the sanctions and nobody else can be blamed for this."