Brazil will not bow to pressure by the U.S. to support harsher sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program, the country's foreign minister has said, as quoted by BBC.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was trying to persuade Brazil to back new sanctions against the Islamic republic, which is suspected by Western powers of attempting to build nuclear weapons, during her visit to Brasilia on Wednesday.

Celso Amorim reportedly told Clinton that Brazil wanted to see further negotiations on the issue before considering sanctions, but the U.S. Secretary of State argued that sanctions had to be passed first in order to persuade Iran to "negotiate in good faith".

Brazil, which is currently a member of the United Nations Security Council, has repeatedly opposed tougher sanctions against the Islamic republic, which are being pushed by the United States.

"We will not simply bow down to an evolving consensus if we do not agree," Amorim was quoted by BBC as saying during a news conference with Clinton. "We have to think by ourselves and with our values and principles," he said.

Iran's nuclear program sparked a new wave of international criticism following Tehran's decision to begin enriching uranium to 20% purity, which Tehran says it needs for civilian energy purposes.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva has called for dialogue with Iran and has reiterated that new sanctions against the Islamic republic would be counter-productive.

The Brazilian leader intends to discuss the issue with the Iranian authorities during his visit to Tehran in May.

MOSCOW, March 4 (RIA Novosti)