AFP: Japan on Thursday urged Iran to abide by a non-binding UN Security Council statement that called on Tehran to completely halt its nuclear drive.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Mar. 30 – A senior deputy in Iran’s Majlis, or Parliament, said on Thursday that the Islamic Republic would not abandon uranium enrichment “under any circumstances” hours after the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a “Presidential Statement” calling on it to suspend all uranium enrichment activity.

CNN: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Berlin on Thursday for talks on next steps to tighten the diplomatic noose around Iran, which she called “a troublesome regime for peace and stability.”

Reuters: Iran rejected on Thursday a U.N. Security Council demand that it halt uranium enrichment to reassure the world that its nuclear programme is peaceful.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Mar. 30 – Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki maintained that the Islamic Republic had a “right” to pursue its nuclear program hours after the United Nations Security Council unanimously issued a “Presidential Statement” calling on Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.

Iran Focus: Paris, Mar. 30 – Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi welcomed on Thursday a statement adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council calling on Iran to suspend all enrichment activities and called on the international community to impose “comprehensive sanctions” against the Iranian regime.