TEHRAN: Iran’s president today dismissed a year-end deadline set by the Obama administration and the West for Tehran to accept a UN-drafted deal to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, and claimed his government is now “10 times stronger” than a year ago.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s

remarks underscored Tehran’s defiance in the nuclear standoff — and also sought to send a message that his government has not been weakened by the protest movement sparked by June’s disputed presidential election.

His comments came a day after the latest opposition protest by tens of thousands mourning a dissident cleric who died over the weekend. President Barack Obama has set a rough deadline of the end of this year for Iran to respond to an offer of dialogue and show it will allay fears of weapons development. Washington and its allies are warning of new, tougher sanctions on Iran if it doesn’t respond.