Bush ups ante on Iran N-weapons

US President Geroge W. Bush on Wednesday praised student protesters in Iran for demanding greater political freedom from the country’s ...

US President Geroge W. Bush on Wednesday praised student protesters in Iran for demanding greater political freedom from the country’s ruling clerics and urged foreign leaders to send a clear signal to Tehran that the world ‘‘will not tolerate’’ its secret development of nuclear weapons.

Bush’s tough language came as the US is mounting a diplomatic campaign to pressure Iran to agree to more intrusive inspections of its nuclear power programme. The remarks appeared calculated to take advantage of growing international criticism of Iran for failing to divulge secret efforts to process enriched uranium that could be used in a weapons programme.

Report may belie hopes

VIENNA: The IAEA will issue a statement on Thursday accusing Iran of failing to comply with UN nuclear safeguards, though diplomats said it may be weaker than what the US wants. The Kuwaiti chairwoman of the board will prepare a ‘‘chairman’s statement’’ summarising the report on Iran discussion. (Reuters)

‘‘The international community must come together to make it very clear to Iran that we will not tolerate the construction of a nuclear weapon,’’ Bush said in Washington after meeting with congressional leaders. ‘‘There’s near universal agreement that we all must work together to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.’’ Bush also lauded student demonstrators in Iran, saying, ‘‘I appreciate those courageous souls who speak out for freedom in Iran.’’ ‘‘They need to know US stands squarely by their side. And I would urge the Iranian administration to treat them with the utmost of respect.’’

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Iran’s reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, who has come under fire from the demonstrators for not delivering greater reforms since his 1997 election, charged US with ‘‘interference in Iran’s internal affairs.’’ He suggested that Washington’s public support for the students was serving to unite Iran behind its government.

The US believes Iran is using a civilian nuke programme as a cover for a weapons programme. It maintains that its concerns were bolstered by a recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency stating that ‘‘Iran has failed to meet its obligations under its safeguards agreement’’ with the atomic agency to report on the import of 1.8 tons of uranium, or the construction of new facilities, including the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, used to process and store nuclear materials.

The confidential report, which was written by IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei, states that the agency’s ability to provide ‘‘credible assurances’’ that Iran is not engaged in an undeclared nuclear weapons programme would be ‘‘limited’’ until Iran agrees to a more intrusive inspection regime. (LAT-WP)