Iran defies UN, speeding up nuke drive

The world's nuclear watchdog said yesterday Iran has flouted a UN Security Council call to suspend uranium enrichment and is speeding up the programme instead, spurring Western powers to urge tougher UN action.

US President George W. Bush said he wanted peaceful persuasion to prevail. Iran's President has vowed to spurn any UN resolution to stop its professed quest for fuel for atomic power stations - a front for bomb-making in Western eyes.

"It's very important for the Iranians to understand there is a common desire by a lot of nations in this world to convince them, peacefully convince them, that they ought to give up their weapons ambitions," Mr Bush said.

He said he would keep consulting US allies on the issue.

Britain said it would ask the Security Council to crank up pressure on Iran after the report by Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said the council should decide the next step, insisting on a peaceful way out of a "worrying situation for the international community".

The council could eventually impose sanctions on Iran, which has vowed to go on purifying uranium whatever the consequences.

The US, backed by Britain and France, favours limited sanctions if Iran refuses to shelve enrichment quickly.

Russia and China, the Security Council's other two veto-holding permanent members who want to protect lucrative stakes in Iran's energy sector, have so far opposed such moves.

The IAEA also said Iran had accelerated efforts to purify uranium for nuclear fuel during a 30-day grace period leading up to the report, and sidestepped questions exploring whether its nuclear programme is purely civilian, as Tehran insists.

It noted that Iran promised in a letter received by the IAEA on Wednesday to give a timetable for answers within three weeks.

But the letter made this, as well as continued access for inspectors to declared nuclear installations, conditional on Iran's atomic dossier staying under IAEA supervision.

This looked like a veiled threat to sever ties with the IAEA if the Security Council acts. Such a step could signal Iran's exit from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, diplomats said.

Hours before the IAEA report was circulated, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would disregard any UN measure to rein in its nuclear project and withstand its opponents.