The conservative who was Tehran's former chief nuclear negotiator also said Iranians must avoid falling prey to US "smiles" as the Americans carry "hidden daggers."

"If we analyse the role of the United States in the Iranian nuclear issue, it turns out that there was a trick in this proposal. They felt that they can politically cheat" Iran, Larijani told the official IRNA news agency.

The UN-brokered deal envisages Iran sending most of its stock of low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for converting into fuel for a research reactor in Tehran.

Iranian officials, including Larijani, have rejected the proposal, but world powers, including Washington, still hope Tehran could agree to the offer.

But Larijani warned Tehran must remain alert when negotiating with Washington.

"One should not fall for US smiles and tactics. Americans sometimes talk about peace and sometimes they smile at the Islamic republic's officials... but they have hidden daggers behind themselves.

"If the country's officials are smart, mature, and love the nation's interests, they will not fall for US smiles. It is a big mistake if we think they will change their behaviour just because there is a change in administration," the Iranian politician said.

US President Barack Obama's administration has made repeated overtures towards Iran to end what is a three-decade old diplomatic tussle which began since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran.

World powers want Tehran's LEU stock to be taken out of the country as they fear it would be further enriched to higher levels by Iran and used in making atomic weapons, a charge strongly denied by the Islamic republic.

Iranian officials insist the only way the LEU would leave Iran was through a simultaneous exchange of 20 percent enriched uranium required as fuel for the Tehran reactor.

Iranian leader greeted with military honors in Bolivia
La Paz (AFP) Nov 24, 2009 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Bolivia for a short visit Tuesday and promptly issued a joint statement with President Evo Morales on the right of all nations to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful ends.

On the second leg of a Latin America tour of three leftist nations sympathetic to his administration, Ahmadinejad was greeted by Morales at La Paz international airport with full military honors before heading with him to the center of the city.

There, a small group of feminists held a protest over Iran's treatment of women in front of the presidential palace, as Ahmadinejad and Morales headed inside for talks.

In a joint press conference after their meeting, Ahmadinejad and Morales expressed their alliance against "imperialism," meaning the United States.

Speaking through an interpreter, the Iranian leader told his host that despite the obstacles raised by imperialism "and our enemies, collaboration between our two countries grows day by day."

Morales said: "It's my experience that imperialism stifles development."

The two presidents signed a joint statement "recognizing the legitimate right of all countries to use and develop nuclear energy for peaceful ends, within the framework of international rights."

In this manner, Bolivia implicitly supported Iran's quest for nuclear energy, which many in the international community believe really masks a desire for nuclear weapons.

The leaders also signed a deal that would see Iran involved in mining research in Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni, a vast salt desert near the Chilean border that holds half the world's known reserves of lithium -- a key mineral used in rechargeable batteries for cell phones, laptops and electric cars.

French, Japanese and South Korean companies are competing to invest in the area, estimated to contain up to 100 million tons of lithium.

The Iranian leader began his itinerary on Monday in Brazil, where his host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reiterated support for Iran's controversial nuclear energy program.

Yet Lula also urged his Iranian counterpart to pursue talks with Western countries that fear Tehran is seeking to build an atomic bomb under cover of a civilian nuclear energy program.

Tehran should "continue contacts with interested countries for a just and balanced solution on the nuclear issue in Iran," said Lula, a moderate leftist in command of Latin America's biggest economy.

Ahmadinejad's six-hour visit to Bolivia and, late Tuesday and into Wednesday, to Venezuela seeks to shore up ties with countries whose leaders also overtly express hostility toward the United States.

An advance gathering of Iranian businessmen representing 70 companies prepared the ground in Venezuela's capital Caracas on Monday for trade discussions.

"We have a solid foundation, a solid base that we have created over this decade in our relationship, and it shows how false are the attacks of the world empire," Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said, referring to the United States in comments broadcast by state television network VTV.

But Venezuela's Jewish community expressed displeasure over Ahmadinejad's visit, issuing a statement calling the Iranian leader an "ominous" person who, if not stopped, "could cause serious harm to humanity."

His visit "gives legitimacy to a regime about which there are serious doubts over its transparency and legality," the group said.

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