President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006. Iran's hard-line president on Tuesday challenged the authority of the U.N. Security Council, saying no one can prevent his country from having a peaceful nuclear program. [AP] Tehran has failed to dispel international doubts it wants nuclear bombs, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency reported on Thursday, clearing the way for the Security Council to consider sanctions on Tehran. But council diplomats said they would proceed cautiously, delaying deliberations until after a meeting between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani. John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said he would meet with his French, British and German counterparts to begin talks on a sanctions resolution. "We are certainly ready to proceed here in New York once we are given the instruction to do so," Bolton said. Western countries, including the United States and the European Union fear Tehran is using a civilian nuclear energy program as a cover for making atomic bombs. Iran says it wants only to generate electricity. The Security Council and the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, had demanded that Iran suspend its enrichment of nuclear material by the end of August so that talks could begin on a way to resolve the crisis. But an IAEA report said Iran just last week resumed making low-enriched uranium, suitable for power plant fuel, with a cascade of 164 centrifuges at its pilot enrichment plant. It also said a lack of Iranian cooperation had crippled IAEA probes into the program. "Iran has not suspended its enrichment related activities," the IAEA said. "Iran has not addressed the long outstanding verification issues or provided the necessary transparency to remove uncertainties associated with some of its activities." Western diplomats say they want the U.N. sanctions to be imposed on Iran in an incremental fashion, increasing the pressure over time if Iran presses on with its nuclear programs. (Agencies)

聯合國核監察機構周四發布消息說，伊朗沒有消除國際社會對其放棄核計劃的疑慮，這為安理考慮對其進行制裁掃清道路。 但安理會有關官員稱，安理會將會慎重處理伊朗核問題，并計劃在歐盟外交政策主席哈維爾·索拉納與伊朗首席核談判代表阿里·拉里賈尼會晤后再商議此事。 美國駐聯合國大使約翰·波頓說，他將與法、英、德三國大使就制裁決議問題進行會談。 波頓說：“安理會一旦批準，我們就在紐約進行會談?！? 美國、歐盟等西方國家擔心伊朗打著民用核能源計劃的“幌子”制造原子彈，而伊朗聲稱，其核計劃僅用于發電。 聯合國安理會和總部設在維也納的國際原子能機構要求伊朗在8月31日前停止鈾濃縮活動，為進一步會談打開大門。 但是，國際原子能機構在一份報告中稱，伊朗上周又開始制造用于發電的低濃縮鈾，目前其鈾濃縮試點工廠共有164臺分離機。 報告中說，伊朗的不合作是國際原子能機構核查中的最大障礙。 國際原子能機構指出，“伊朗并沒有中止與鈾濃縮相關的活動，沒有處理長期以來懸而未決的查證問題，也沒有為澄清這些問題提供任何必要的信息?！? 西方社會表示，他們希望安理會能逐步對伊朗實施制裁，如果伊朗繼續核計劃，就不斷對它施加壓力。 (英語點津姍姍編輯)