Iran's supreme leader said Friday the Islamic republic isn't seeking and doesn't believe in pursuing nuclear bombs.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the remarks a day after a draft report from the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Iran may be working secretly to develop a nuclear warhead for a missile.

"Iran will not get emotional in its response to these nonsensical statements, because we have often said that our religious tenets and beliefs consider these kinds of weapons of mass destruction to be symbols of genocide and are, therefore, forbidden and considered to be haram (religiously banned)," he said.

"This is why we do not believe in atomic bombs and weapons and do not seek them."

The ayatollah's remarks reflect the tensions between the West and Iran over its nuclear program. The United States and its allies fear that Iran aims to develop the capacity to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies this, saying its nuclear program is designed solely to produce civilian energy and for medical use.