Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech came during an exclusive interview with state-run Iranian television and indicated the new Iranian leader's apparent determination to not bow to US demands to curtail his country's nuclear programme.

"We are urging fair relations with the world, but people are being blocked by some who claim they promote democracy and freedom but act vice versa when they deal with Iranians," Mr Ahmadinejad said in an apparent reference to the US.

Mr Ahmadinejad also said that his surprise landslide election win last month was a message from Iranians to "the world that they want to be independent".

"They [the west] still think like landlords of a century ago," he said."Landlords expected their peasants just to listen to their words. But the period of one-sided decision-making is over. Our nation does not accept imposed relations."

Mr Ahmadinejad, whose election raised fears in Iran and abroad that Iran would take an even tougher line with the west, urged unity among Iranian political groups.

"All political groups and parties must accompany our nation and domestic and foreign issues should be solved by people power," he said.

He provided few details about his political agenda, but said choosing cabinet ministers was his most important task at the moment. He mentioned no likely candidates.

The former mayor of Tehran replaced Mohammad Khatami, the pro-reformist president of eight years.

Reformists claimed that candidates supporting political, democratic and economic reform in Iran were unfairly barred from taking part in the latest polls.