Iran defiant on nuclear deadline

BBC

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Tehran will not yield to pressure, as a UN deadline for Iran to stop sensitive nuclear work expires.
"Iran will not back down an inch... and will not accept being deprived of its rights," he said in a speech.

The UN had set a 31 August deadline for Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment and re-processing activities.

If Iran is found not to comply, the US wants UN powers to discuss a resolution which could impose sanctions on Iran.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is due to submit a report to the UN Security Council which is expected to say that Iran has not complied with the UN demand.

US ambassador to the UN John Bolton has said Iran is well aware that ignoring the UN demands could trigger sanctions.

He said the five permanent members of the Security Council had repeatedly warned that failure to meet the deadline would result in them seeking sanctions.