"Today, the world has accepted Iran as a major power," said the president addressing a meeting of local clerics in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, before ending his provincial tour hours later.



The president and his entourage ended their two-day provincial visit to Khuzestan early Thursday morning.



President Ahmadinejad stressed that pressures exerted by world's arrogant and oppressive powers on Iran would fail due to the resistance of the brave Iranian nation.



"Iranians have defeated enemies in all fronts and would continue defeating them in the future with God's help," said the president.



He stressed that the Iranian nation would stay united against world's bullying powers following the instructions made by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.



"Iranians resistance has broken equations made by the US and other world's bullying powers," President Ahmadinejad stressed.



Noting that Iran "is one of the safest countries of the world, the president said, the country was continuing its course towards progress and development."

Touching upon the issue of Iran's peaceful nuclear activities, President Ahmadinejad said, "If any world nation is willing to hold talks with Iran on its peaceful nuclear case, it should notice that Tehran is faithful to its principles and does not withdraw from its aspirations even one iota."

He also said that capitalism was on the verge of collapse.

Tehran, Dec 18, IRNA