Reuters: President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the United States and its allies may slap more sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, after Tehran vowed that no offer could halt its enrichment of uranium.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the United States and its allies may slap more sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, after Tehran vowed that no offer could halt its enrichment of uranium.
Obama, at a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said they agreed Iran’s nuclear program and its refusal to engage in any meaningful talks remain a serious concern.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, dismissing the key demand of countries that fear Tehran is developing atomic weapons, said on Tuesday there was “no brake and no reverse gear” to Iran’s nuclear advances.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amono, said on Monday the U.N. atomic watchdog had received further information that seemed to point to possible “military dimensions” to Iran’s nuclear program.
“We agreed that if the International Atomic Energy Agency this week determines again that Iran is continuing to ignore its international obligations, then we will have no choice but to consider additional steps, including potentially additional sanctions, to intensify the pressure on the Iranian regime,” Obama said.
Iran says sanctions imposed by the United States, Europe and the United Nations are not hitting its economy and insists it will not give up what it considers its sovereign right to enrich uranium for what it calls the peaceful production of electricity.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by John O’Callaghan)
