British PM issues warning to Iran

BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday warned Iran it must freeze sensitive nuclear work or face more sanctions, in the first address by a British premier to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

He also railed against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s “abhorrent” threats against Israel and declared that Britain stands alongside the Jewish state.

Brown, who held talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday, said peace was within their grasp, but only if Israel withdraws from settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Palestinians stamp out “terrorists”. His comments on Iran’s nuclear drive echoed a warning by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Tehran had two weeks to respond seriously to an international offer or face further “punitive measures”.