AFP - Iran said Tuesday it has no faith in world powers, calling on them to earn Tehran's trust before the Islamic republic could agree to enter into a UN-brokered nuclear fuel deal.

Foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast, speaking at a news conference, implicitly dismissed Turkey's eagerness to mediate between Tehran and world powers to resolve the crisis over its atomic programme.

The Iranian official also shrugged off threats of sanctions from some Western powers, saying this would only help Tehran gain further self-sufficiency in its nuclear programme.

"We never said we will not do this (nuclear fuel deal)," Mehmanparast told reporters when asked whether Iran was still considering entering the deal brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

World powers had backed the IAEA proposal under which Iran would send most of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia and France for conversion into nuclear fuel for a research reactor in the capital.

But Tehran rejected the proposal last month, insisting it wanted to hand over its LEU at the same time it receives the 20 percent enriched uranium, and that the handover must take place simultaneously inside Iran.

"The question is the attitude of some Western countries in the past. They have lost trust and have never kept their promises," Mehmanparast said.

"We can't listen to them easily. If they can provide conditions that can gain our trust, we are ready to exchange the fuel."

Western powers suspect Tehran is pursuing nuclear technology to make atomic weapons. Iran denies the charge, saying its ambitions are to gain peaceful nuclear power.

Mehmanparast implicitly rejected Turkey's desire to mediate between it and world powers, a possibility raised by US President Barack Obama on Monday during talks with Ankara's visiting premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan criticised the UN nuclear watchdog's censure of Iran as a "very rushed" move and insisted Tehran's nuclear programme should be dealt with diplomatically.

Mehmanparast said solving the controversy over Tehran's nuclear drive does not need additional parties.

"A number of countries are interested in playing a role in the problem created by the big nations for the independent ones. And Turkey wants to play a role in solving the nuclear issue between the countries who have the technology and the countries who are seeking it," he said.

"But we don't think that our views are non-transparent and they needed to be interpreted by others. All our nuclear work is under the supervision of the agency and we have informed it of our future plans.

"It is also aware of the approach of our majlis. We have revealed our plans very transparently to it," he said referring to the Iranian parliament's call on the government to reduce ties with the IAEA after it censured Tehran for building a new uranium enrichment plant.

Mehmanparast also dismissed Western threats to impose a fourth set of UN sanctions on Tehran if it does not come clean on its nuclear programme.

"This is the continuation of the same incorrect approach of the past. Such threats and deadlines do not work. Sanctions are nothing new for Iran," he said.

"At every stage of sanctions, we have reached a higher level of self-sufficiency and gained further independence. If there is another round of sanctions we will be more serious" in pursuing nuclear technology.