Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Monday that the Islamic republic will not hesitate to defend its nuclear rights, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Salehi's remarks came a day after the European Union (EU) started to practice embargo on the Islamic republic's oil exports to Europe.

The remarks of Iranian foreign minister is also significant in that Iran and the P5+1 (five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) will meet over the country's controversial nuclear program on Tuesday in Turkey's Istanbul.

Iran, following three rounds of negotiations over its uranium enrichment program since mid-April, has agreed to meet again with the P5+1, in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 3 at the expert level.

"The other party has no other alternative but mutual understanding. The next choice is confrontation and I don't think any common sense is seeking confrontation after the regional developments," Salehi told ISNA on Monday.

"There is no solution but diplomatic and political settlement of Iranian nuclear issue. The issue may have come with ups and downs, but overall I believe that we are moving towards fixing the issue and the other side has no way but to follow mutual understanding with Iran."

The Iranian foreign minister added that the country seeks win- win approach in nuclear talks and would never hesitate to defend its rights and sovereignty.

Iran insists on the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities, which the Western countries doubt are being used to produce nuclear weapons.