Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani, whose country is under strong pressure from the United Nations over its nuclear program, called on Monday for a more powerful global body free of big-power domination.

Open gallery view Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani Credit: Reuters

Speaking to an audience including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Larijani said the new body should comprise "the elites" of the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and ensure more fairness in the global system.

"The current prevailing structure of power has not only been unable to secure international peace and security, but has also led to the emergence of such new phenomena as terrorism in a very dangerous and organized framework," he declared.

"No doubt this inability is due to the double standards and unilateral policies exercised by the big powers, including the USA," Larijani added.

Now speaker of parliament but formerly Iran's chief disarmament negotiator, Larijani was speaking to a gathering of parliamentary speakers from IPU member countries on increasing global democratic accountability.

The UN Security Council imposed new sanctions on Iran in June over its nuclear program, with Russia and China supporting U.S. proposals aimed at putting increased pressure on Tehran.

Iran says the program is only for peaceful purposes, but Western powers believe it is trying to produce nuclear weapons.

Ban earlier met Larijani and told reporters they had discussed how the Iranian nuclear issue could be resolved harmoniously.

"I emphasized the importance of the Iranian government working together with the international community to resolve this issue through dialogue and negotiations," Ban said.