Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (file)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the world cannot stop his country's nuclear program.

State-controlled news agencies in Tehran quote Mr. Ahmadinejad as saying Iran has passed the difficult points on the nuclear issue and that no power can stop the country from making further achievements.

The comments come a day after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called on the European Union to impose economic sanctions against Iran.

Last month, Kouchner said the world should prepare for a possible war with Iran over the nuclear issue.  Iran summoned France's top diplomat in Tehran Wednesday to protest the remark, which Kouchner has said was taken out of context.

The United States and its allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, a charge Tehran denies.

The U.N. Security Council has imposed two sets of sanctions on Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can be used in making nuclear weapons.  Six world powers decided to wait until November to decide whether to push for a third round of sanctions.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.