Bush: The World Must Be United and Determined Against Iran's Nuclear Weapons Acquisition - 2003-06-18

President Bush stated that the world must be united and determined in supporting the idea that Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons should not be tolerated. The U.S. President made these remarks today at the White House alongside statements from the U.S. representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The U.S. representative at the IAEA Executive Council meeting, which is affiliated with the United Nations in Vienna, Austria, expressed that Iran's nuclear program is a serious concern. Mr. Kenneth Brill, during the IAEA meeting discussing a report by experts indicating that Iran has not disclosed information regarding the importation, processing, and storage of its nuclear materials to the agency, stated that Iran must submit to more rigorous inspections of its nuclear facilities. Ali Akbar Salehi, the representative of the Islamic Republic at the IAEA meeting, rejected the accusations made by the U.S. against the Islamic Republic regime, asserting that Iran considers the development, production, and use of nuclear weapons contrary to its ethical principles. The IAEA must now decide how to respond to the experts' report indicating that the Tehran regime has failed to comply with agreements regarding nuclear inspections. Analysts suggest that a strongly worded resolution condemning the Islamic Republic regime and compelling it to accept stricter inspections seems unlikely, but a resolution with a softer tone is more probable. The official report from international experts comes at a time when it is said that the Iranian government is attempting to develop nuclear weapons. The Iranian representative at the IAEA stated today that the agency has prepared its report in a way that satisfies the U.S. and remarked that the text of the IAEA report could have been more balanced. Officials from the Islamic Republic regime accused the U.S. of putting excessive pressure on the IAEA to act against Iran. These developments coincide with protests by Iranians against the Islamic Republic regime. The events in Vienna occur as student protests in Iran enter their eighth day, and the U.S. President has declared that America stands with the demonstrators. The U.S. President has called on the Iranian government to treat the demonstrators with respect.