"Our religion prohibits us from having nuclear arms. Our religious leader has prohibited it from the point of view of religious law. It's a closed road. We don't even need it; we can guarantee our security in other ways," Ahmadinejad said in an intervew with the weekly Newsweek.

He added that at least 1,200 inspections had taken place in Iran to vet the country's nuclear programme and more than 1,030 documents had been handed to the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"All the IAEA cameras are fixed on our facilities, and the IAEA supervisors can control every action within our facilities. We have proven amply that we are conforming to regulations."

Western countries suspect that Iran's nuclear programme is a covert attempt to devise a nuclear bomb.

Iran says the programme is intended only to provide civilian energy and denies any military ambitions.

In Tehran Sunday, Ahmadinejad ruled out making further concessions to its critics, who have warned that Iran could be referred to the UN Security Council for verbal censure or possible sanctions.

Ahmadinejad said his offer to allow foreign participation in the Islamic republic's nuclear energy drive ought to be enough to dispel suspicions.

The Newsweek interview appears in the issue to be released Monday.

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