US: President Bush said yesterday that he and other world leaders "will not tolerate construction of a nuclear weapon" by Iran, and he urged Tehran to treat anti-government protesters with "the utmost of respect", writes Conor O'Clery, North America Editor
The warning about nuclear weapons comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna indicated that the Islamic government had failed to declare how it used its nuclear material.
The US wants the IAEA to declare Iran in violation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty so that the issue can be sent to the UN Security Council for possible action.
Mr Bush's remarks raise the prospect of a new Security Council debate on a resolution that could authorise a military strike by the US against Iran's nuclear energy facility if Iran did not meet the UN's conditions.
"The international community must come together to make it very clear to Iran that we will not tolerate the construction of a nuclear weapon," Mr Bush told reporters in the White House. "Iran would be dangerous if they have a nuclear weapon."
He said he had brought up the subject at the recent G8 meeting of industrialised nations in France, and there was "near universal agreement" to work together to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
"And secondly, I appreciate those courageous souls who speak out for freedom in Iran," Mr Bush said, regarding student demonstrations in recent days.
The nuclear agency said "Iran has failed to report certain nuclear materials and activities, and that corrective actions are being taken in co-operation with the Iranian authorities."
Iran's IAEA representative acknowledged that Iran and the IAEA had different interpretations of regulations.