Bush suspicious of Iran's nuclear ambitions

US President George Bush said today he’s deeply suspicious about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but that the country’s new leader has indicated a willingness to negotiate.

Bush said he got word today that the newly elected president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said he is willing to negotiate with other nations amid concerns that his country is developing nuclear weapons.

“Just as I was walking here, I received word that the new president said he was willing to get back to the table,” Bush told reporters at a brief question-and-answer session at his Texas ranch.

Bush said that if Iran does not co-operate, United Nations sanctions are “a potential consequence.”

“We’ll work with our friends on steps forward, on ways to deal with the Iranians if they so choose to ignore the demands of the world,” he said.

Bush’s comments came a day after Iran restarted some uranium conversion activities at its nuclear plant at the central Iranian city of Isfahan.

Britain, France and Germany have been trying to persuade Iran to drop its uranium enrichment program and related activities in return for incentives. Tehran rejected their latest offer last weekend.

“We’re very deeply suspicious of their desires and call upon our friends in Europe ... to lead the diplomatic effort to convince the Iranians to give up their nuclear ambitions,” Bush said after a meeting with his economic advisers at his private ranch.

Tehran, which had agreed to suspend nuclear activities in November, insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, but Washington accuses it of covertly trying to build a weapon.

Iran had pledged to stop building centrifuges, which can be used to enrich uranium to levels high enough to fuel a nuclear weapon. Centrifuges also can be used for the peaceful generation of nuclear energy; uranium enriched to lower levels is used to produce electricity.