In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Ahmadinejad took aim, without naming them, at the United States and its allies who, he said, had bullied Iran and pressured the IAEA.

"Fortunately, the IAEA has recently tried to regain its legal role as supporter of the rights of its members while supervising nuclear activities," Ahmadinejad said.

"Today, because of the resistance of Iranian nation, the issue is back to the agency, and I officially announce that in our opinion, the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed and has turned into an ordinary agency matter," he said.

"From our point of view, Iran's nuclear issue is closed as a political issue," the Iranian leader said. "However certain powers who have been hostile to our nation for the past 30 years have made every effort, as they do today, to turn a simple legal issue into a very loud, controversial political issue."

He said that what mattered was that Iran's nuclear activities are "within the legal framework, under the supervision and inspection of the IAEA... which is the body responsible for this... Our program as such will continue."

Tehran rejects Western charges that it is trying to build nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian nuclear program and insists it is entitled to pursue uranium enrichment as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The UN Security Council has adopted three resolutions against Iran. Two include sanctions because of Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment.

The United States is pushing for further UN sanctions on Tehran and is to hold further talks with the four other members of the Security Council -- France, Britain, Russia and China -- along with Germany on the issue this week.

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