No retreat by Iran on nuclear programme

IRAN’S president declared yesterday his country would not retreat on its uranium enrichment activities.

The visiting head of the UN atomic watchdog agency said he had not seen any diversion of nuclear material for arms purposes, although “the picture is still hazy”.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signalled there would be no concessions in talks with Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who arrived to head off a confrontation with the UN Security Council.