The UN nuclear watchdog’s decision to report Iran to the UN Security Council is a clear message that the world will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, US President George Bush has said.“This important step sends a clear message to the regime in Iran that the world will not permit them to gain nuclear weapons,” he said on Saturday.The IAEA voted 27-3 in Vienna to report Iran to the Council in a month’s time if it fails to allay fears it is hiding a nuclear weapons programme. But Bush added, “the vote is not the end of diplomacy or the IAEA’s role. It is the beginning of an intensified diplomatic effort to prevent the Iranian regime from developing nuclear weapons. We will continue working with our international partners to achieve that common objective.” He said he expected the Council to back calls for Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment and return to negotiations.“The path chosen by Iran’s new leaders—threats, concealment, and breaking international agreements and IAEA seals—will not succeed and will not be tolerated by the international community. The regime’s continued defiance only further isolates Iran from the world,” he said. Bush also directly addressed “the Iranian people”, saying that the IAEA vote was not aimed at denying them access to civilian nuclear power.
