Commander of Iran's Basij (volunteer) force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi lashed out at the policy pursued by Group 5+1 (U.S., France, Britain, Russia and China plus Germany), and stressed that Iran is ready to prove that the Group's strategy is "nothing but empty and ineffective pressure."

"Our nation is prepared to prove that 5+1 equals zero and that no means can pressure Iran," Naqdi told Fars News Agency on Wednesday, June 20.

He also blasted G5+1 members for “supporting the assassinations conducted by the anti-Iran Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).”

Iran and six world powers blamed each other for deadlock at talks on Tehran's nuclear program on Tuesday.

The six powers want Tehran to stop enriching uranium to levels that bring it close to acquiring weapons-grade material, but Iran has demanded relief from economic sanctions and an acknowledgement that it has the right to enrich uranium.

If talks collapse, anxiety could grow on financial markets over the danger of higher oil prices and conflict in the Middle East because Israel has threatened to attack Iranian nuclear sites if diplomacy fails to stop Tehran getting the bomb.