Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is heading to the U.S. city of New York to participate in a conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Voice of America reported.
Ahmadinejad is expected to defend Iran's right to enrich uranium, and to propose changes to the treaty on Monday on the first day of the month-long conference at the U.N. headquarters while addressing conference's participants.
Before his visit to New York, Iranian President condemned nuclear weapons production and stockpiling.
Iran is a participant of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, created to control the spread of atomic weapons worldwide.
Iran has been under international pressure to halt uranium enrichment, needed both for electricity generation and weapons production. Tehran has repeatedly rejected the demand, insisting it is pursuing a purely civilian program. Several Western powers have called for harsher sanctions against Tehran if it does not agree to halt uranium enrichment.
The U.S. and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran in case it fails to meet a demand by Western powers and halt its controversial uranium enrichment program. The U.S. and other Western nations accuse Iran of attempting to build weapons under the guise of peaceful nuclear generation.
On Friday, Ahmadinejad described Iran as a "fist" that will "knock teeth out" of anyone who has the courage to attack the Islamic republic.
MOSCOW, May 2 (RIA Novosti)