Iran to restart nuke act

The president-elect of Iran vowed to restart the nation's controversial nuclear program, saying it was meant only for peaceful energy purposes. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld labeled the new ultraconservative leader as "no friend of democracy."

Asked about relations with the United States during his first news conference since Friday's election, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday said Iran "is taking the path of progress based on self-reliance. It doesn't need the United States significantly on this path."

In a sign of tensions likely ahead, Rumsfeld dismissed the vote as a "mock election."

Ahmadinejad entered the crowded chambers in Iran's municipal building with little fanfare, maintaining the unassuming style embraced by the roughly 17 million Iranians who voted him to power in a landslide victory.