United States President George Bush warned on Thursday of United Nations Security Council action against Iran if Tehran formally refuses to freeze sensitive nuclear work, something Washington has made a condition for talks.
Asked about Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s comments refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, Bush replied: “We’ll see whether or not that is the firm decision of their government.
“And if that’s what they decide to do, the next step, of course, will be for our coalition partners to go to the UN Security Council. And the choice is up to the Iranians,” the US president said.
Bush downplayed resistance from Russia and China to his hard-line approach, saying that he had laid out the US approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and received “a positive response”.
“He said he understands our strategy and he agrees we want to solve this issue diplomatically,” said Bush. “We expect Russia to participate in the UN Security Council.”
But the US president, who spoke to Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday, did not directly answer when asked whether Russia and China were on board with the US strategy.
“It’s going to be up to the Iranians to make their decision. And if they choose not to verifiably suspend, we have laid the groundwork for an effective international response,” said Bush.
“There’s uniform agreement that the Iranians should not have a nuclear weapon. And we’ll discuss tactics and strategies to make sure that the international community speaks with one clear voice if the Iranians choose not to verifiably suspend,” he said. — AFP