Rice Urges UN Action on Iran

12/04/2006| IslamWeb

Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, has said the United Nations will have to take "strong steps" in response to Iran's claim to have successfully enriched uranium.

Rice said Tuesday's announcement was further proof that Tehran was not adhering to international regulations.

It was time for the Security Council to take "strong steps to make certain that we maintain the credibility of the international community on this issue", Rice said on Wednesday.

However, the Iranian move did not call for an emergency meeting of the 15-member Security Council, she added.

International condemnation of the announcement by Iran has also come from China, Russia, the European Union and Japan.

Russia had offered to aid Iran's nuclear programme by helping it to enrich uranium on Russian soil for shipment to Iranian power plants - an offer now seems unlikely to be taken up.

Iran has traditionally regarded Russia as a leading nuclear ally and several officials in Tehran have predicted that Russia will veto any punitive action by the UN security council.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said the use of force would not solve the problem but did not reiterate Moscow's past opposition to economic sanctions.

The Security Council last month gave Iran until April 28 to abandon nuclear activities the West fears is aimed at developing a nuclear bomb.

PHOTO CAPTION

Iranians listen to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech during his trip to Khorasan Razavi province, 890 km (530 miles) northeast of Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April, 12, 2006. (AP)