MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Iran will never halt its nuclear program to mollify Western critics, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with NBC News.

Speaking to a reporter from the channel in the presidential compound in Tehran, Ahmadinejad also refused to explicitly rule out the development of nuclear weapons.

"We don't need nuclear weapons," Ahmadinejad said, speaking through an interpreter. "We do not see any need for such weapons. And the conditions around the world are moving to favor our ideas."

However, he said: "if you are talking about the enrichment of uranium for peaceful purposes, this will never be closed down here in Iran."

Iran has been under international pressure to halt uranium enrichment, needed both for electricity generation and weapons production. Tehran has repeatedly rejected the demand, insisting it is pursuing a purely civilian program.

Several Western powers have called for harsher sanctions against Tehran if it does not agree to halt uranium enrichment.

The interview took place a week before Ahmadinejad is due to address the UN General Assembly session and two weeks before multilateral talks on Iran's nuclear program, the first involving Iran since a July session in Geneva ended in deadlock.

Ahmadinejad also defended the legality of his reelection last spring, which triggered days of street protests.

"The law prevails," he said. "I don't see any problems."