Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday compared the power of Iran’s enemies to a “mosquito,” saying Iran deals with the West from a position of power.

Ahmadinejad’s comment came as Iran is negotiating with the West over a UN-backed proposal to ship its uranium abroad for further enrichment. The UN-brokered plan would require Iran to send 1,100 kg of low-enriched uranium, around 70 per cent of its stockpile, to Russia in one batch by year’s end, for processing to create more refined fuel for a Tehran research reactor.

Iran has indicated that it may agree to send only “part” of its stockpile in several shipments. Should the talks fail to help Iran obtain the fuel from abroad, Iran has threatened to enrich uranium to the higher level needed to power the research reactor domestically. After further enrichment in Russia, France would convert the uranium into fuel rods that would be returned to Iran for use in the reactor in Tehran that produces medical isotopes.

“While enemies have used all their capacities ... the Iranian nation is standing powerfully and they are like a mosquito,” a government website quoted Ahmadinejad early Sunday as saying. “Given the negative record of Western powers, the Iranian government ... looks at the talks with no trust. But realities dictate to them to interact with the Iranian nation,” he said according to the site.