As world powers condemned North Korea’s announcement on Monday, Washington called for harsh U.N. sanctions that could further isolate the communist state.

“Iran is against the use and production of nuclear weapons. No country is competent to use nuclear weapons,” government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham told a weekly news conference, when asked about North Korea’s nuclear test.

The West accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons under a civilian programme. Iran insists it needs nuclear energy to satisfy its booming electricity demand.

Although U.S. President George W. Bush has named Iran and North Korea as part of an “axis of evil”, Western officials, including the United States, on Monday stressed that Iran and North Korea were different cases needing different solutions.

Elham reiterated that Iran had no intention of building nuclear weapons.

“Iran’s atomic work is transparent. It should not be considered as a thereat,” Elham said, adding that Western and other nuclear powers should start disarming.

Iran’s highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued a religious decree, saying making, stockpiling or using nuclear weapons was against Islamic beliefs, the official IRNA news agency reported in August 2005.

The United States, Germany, Britain, France, Russia and China agreed on Friday to discuss possible U.N. sanctions against Teheran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment programme, which could produce fuel for atomic weapons.

Elham called on the six major powers to respect international regulations when taking any decision about Iran’s nuclear activities.

“They should recognise the right of technological advancement and progress for every country. International laws should be respected,” Elham said.

Iran is a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and insists it has every right to nuclear technology. North Korea was also a signatory but withdrew in 2003 after admitting to a covert enrichment programme and expelling U.N. inspectors. Iran says it has no intention to quit the NPT.

European and other Western intelligence sources say North Korean technicians and nuclear experts have helped to train Iranian nuclear scientists.