Iran has influence in the Middle East region but does not use it to build an empire, Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani said.

"If the Zionist regime [Israel] bullies Palestine we will stand against it and if it decides to attack Lebanon Hezbollah will confront it," IRNA quoted Larijani as saying on Friday.

Larijani said Iran has "peaceful nuclear know-how."

"When the United States questions why Iran has nuclear and missile technology it is because we have the ability to obtain such technologies," he said.

"They claim that Iran has nuclear weapons, but they never say [a word about] the Zionist regime, which is their friend, [and] possesses nukes."

Western powers suspect Iran of attempting to build nuclear weapons under the guise of civilian nuclear power generation.

EU foreign ministers approved on Monday tighter sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The sanctions, which include new restrictions on foreign trade, financial services and the oil and gas sectors, come a month after the adoption of UN sanctions on Iran on June 9.

Iran argues that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency it has the right to peaceful nuclear technology.

TEHRAN, July 31 (RIA Novosti)