TEHRAN Iran denied claims made by the Iraqi press that Tehran was refusing to normalize relations with Baghdad because of U.S. pressure.

An informed official at Iran Foreign Ministry said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always acted according to its national interests and with total independence. "Such insinuations are aimed at concealing Iraqi authorities' unwillingness to promote relations with Iran," he said.

"One of the clear examples in this regard is Iraq's obstructions on the exchange of prisoners of war," the source said, adding Iran welcomed a rapprochement in the two neighboring countries' relations if Iraq showed it was determined to do so.

The Iraqi publication *****Rafedain***** had recently claimed that Tehran was refusing to normalize its relations with Baghdad under the U.S. pressures.

The two countries have still a distant way to normalize ties, held back since the Iraqi-imposed war of 1980-1988. Baghdad is also hosting the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) which occasionally carry subversive armed operations inside the Islamic Republic.

The issues of prisoners of war and those missing in action have remained another major stumbling block to the normalization of ties.

Since the 1980s, the two countries have exchanged more than 100,000 of their prisoners of war.

The Islamic Republic says some 2,500 of its forces are still held in Iraqi prisons and refutes Baghdad's claims that it holds nearly 30,000 Iraqi soldiers.

According to another report, Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Ali Khorram said on Tuesday that Iraq must pay compensation for polluting the Persian Gulf during the 1991 invasion of Kuwait.

Speaking at a special meeting of the United Nation Security Council, Khorram defended Iran's right in this regard and said that the UN must investigate the damage inflicted by this pollution and determine its aspects.

"Implementing environmental studies is necessary to recognize the methods of improvement and clear up the Persian Gulf coasts", he added.

Due to Iraq's aggression against Kuwait in 1991, millions of barrels of crude oil spilt into the Persian Gulf and contaminated the coasts.

In addition, because of burning Kuwait's 600 oil wells, neighboring countries particularly Iran sustained much loss in forests and pastures.

Iran has complained against Iraq to the UN Compensation Commission for the loss, and is implementing 42 environmental studies to examine the level of damage.