US, UK, France ratchet up pressure on Iran

USA, Nov 04 (Reuters): The United States, Britain and France turned up the pressure on Tehran Thursday ahead of next week's release of a keenly awaited UN report that may offer new details about the military side of Iran's nuclear programmeme. Washington and its European allies suspect that Iran is developing the capability to produce atomic weapons under cover of a civilian nuclear energy programme. Iran denies wanting atom bombs and insists its programme is for generating electricity. The report by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to unveil detailed intelligence pointing to military dimensions of Iran's nuclear programmeme, while stopping short of saying explicitly that Tehran is trying to build such weapons. "One (issue) in particular that I want to mention is the continuing threat posed by Iran's nuclear programme," US President Barack Obama told reporters ahead of a G20 heads of state summit in the French resort of Cannes. "The IAEA is scheduled to release a report on Iran's nuclear programme next week and (French) President (Nicolas) Sarkozy and I agree on the need to maintain the unprecedented pressure on Iran to meet its obligations," Obama said. The United States, European Union and their allies around the world have imposed economic sanctions on Tehran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment programme, which Western powers believe is at the heart of an Iran atom bomb programme. The United States and Israel have repeatedly hinted at the possible use of force against Iranian nuclear sites, eliciting threats of fierce retaliation from the Islamic Republic. The UN Security Council, with the backing of Iran's traditional sympathizers Russia and China, has imposed four rounds of increasingly tough sanctions on Tehran since 2006. Responding to a newspaper report that Britain was stepping up military contingency plans amid mounting concerns about Iran, a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said Wednesday that London was keeping all options open -- including the possibility of military action. "We want a negotiated solution, but all options should be kept on the table," a Foreign Office spokesperson said.