Bush urges unity on Iran

US President George W. Bush urged European allies yesterday to unite with Washington to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Mr Bush was in Paris as part of his European farewell tour aimed at convincing allies to tighten sanctions on Iran if it refuses to accept incentives to stop enriching uranium, which the West worries could be used for nuclear bombs.

"Instead of dwelling on our differences, we are increasingly united in our interests and ideals," Mr Bush said at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

"For the security of Europe and for the peace of the world, we must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

Condemned by many Europeans for the war in Iraq, Mr Bush is seeking a diplomatic solution to a standoff with Tehran over its nuclear energy programme while also making it clear that military options remain on the table.

In Tehran, leading cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Emami-Kashani, accused Mr Bush and the US of "setting the whole world on fire" with his campaign about Iran. "What Iran is doing is merely scientific and economic work. What Iran is doing has got only industrial and peaceful purposes," he said at Friday prayers broadcast on state radio.