China is reiterating its stance that sanctions are not appropriate for deterring Iran from a nuclear weapons program.
A
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, told reporters Thursday
that sanctions and pressure are "not the way" to solve the issue.
On
Wednesday, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev told reporters at the
United Nations General Assembly that new sanctions against Iran may be
inevitable, although they are rarely productive. He said in some
cases, such penalties are unavoidable.
Meanwhile, Iran's
president says his country is willing to have its nuclear experts meet
with scientists from the United States and other world powers to try to
resolve concerns about the nuclear program.
In an interview with
The Washington Post newspaper, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also said Iran wants
to buy enriched uranium used in medical applications from the United
States. U.S. officials did not immediately comment on the proposal.
In
Paris Thursday, an exiled Iranian opposition group said it has
discovered two previously unknown sites in Iran where scientists are
secretly researching technology used in nuclear warheads.
The
allegation has not been verified. The National Council of Resistance of
Iran is considered to be an umbrella organization for the Iranian
People's Mujahedeen and has been designated a terrorist group by the
U.S. State Department. European nations removed the group from their
terrorist list earlier this year. The NCRI has uncovered covert
activities with Iran's nuclear program in the past, although overall it
has a mixed record in making allegations against the government in
Tehran.
In Iran Thursday, the country's supreme leader accused
Western nations of plotting against the Islamic republic. Speaking on
state television, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei did not mention the nuclear
stand-off, but he said Tehran must prevent foreigners from sowing
divisions among Iranians.
The United States, France, Germany,
Britain, Russia and China meet with Iranian negotiators next week for
talks on Tehran's nuclear ambitions. President Obama says Iran has been
violating too many of its international obligations and that tougher
sanctions may be needed. But analysts say the outcome of the talks
mainly depends on Russia and China's willingness to pressure Iran.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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