TEHRAN – Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said here on Friday that any move by the UN Security Council against Iran over its nuclear program would harm both those who take the decision and the Middle East.

“We advise them not to invite such a danger to the region and the world,” Rafsanjani said in a sermon at Friday prayers.

The West is using lethal discrimination against Iran, although Tehran has shown the most transparency possible and has allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to carry out additional inspections by implementing the additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), he noted.

“This kind of approach toward Iran shows the incompetence of international organizations, but the Iranian people will defend their rights,” he added. He asserted that Tehran is making efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue, even in the current situation.

“We should prepare ourselves for negotiations anyway.”

Addressing the Iranian nation, Rafsanjani said, “Rest assured that your government will not relinquish your rights.”

His comments came as France, Britain, and Germany work on a draft resolution that would impose sanctions on Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.