Bush warns Iran of UN action

2005-08-09 22:21

Crawford, Texas - US President George W Bush warned on Tuesday that Iran may face UN sanctions over its nuclear ambitions as he cautiously welcomed signs Tehran is ready to resume talks to defuse the issue.

Speaking one day after the Islamic republic resumed sensitive atomic activities, Bush said he was "deeply suspicious" of Iran's "desires" but recommitted himself to negotiations led by Britain, France and Germany.

"We will work with them in terms of what consequences there may be, and certainly the United Nations is a potential consequence," the president told reporters on his ranch near this tiny town.

"Just as I was walking in here, I received word that the new Iranian president (Mahmood Ahmadinejad) said he was willing to get back to the table," he said.

Positive sign

"If he did say that, I think that's a positive sign that the Iranians are getting the message, that it's not just the United States that's worried about their nuclear programmes, but the Europeans are serious in calling the Iranians to account and negotiating," Bush said.

"We'll have to watch very carefully, however," he added. "They have, in the past, said they would adhere to international norm and then were caught enriching uranium. And that's dangerous."

"We don't want the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon," he said. "We'll work with our friends on steps forward, on ways to deal with the Iranians if they so choose to ignore the demands of the world.

- SAPA