Iran will not give up nuclear program

The government of Iran said again today it would not give up its nuclear program, even in the face of new sanctions.

This just one day after a strong warning from Vice President Dick Cheney about Iranian nuclear intentions, a warning that echoed from an unexpected source.

Adding to the rising rhetoric against Iran is an unlikely white house resident.

Laura Bush said, “This is a country that has said they want Israel wiped off the face of the earth, and these are threats that the world needs to take seriously.”

On her current trip through the Middle East the first lady will not meet with Iranian leaders in Tehran.

The Bush administration accuses the regime of secretly building nuclear weapons.

Cheney said, “The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course the international community is prepared to impose serious consequences.”

Iran defends its right to develop nuclear power for energy purposes alone. But the program’s top negotiator — who had strong diplomatic relations with the US — was recently replaced by a lesser known diplomat.

Some say the move gives Iran’s president more control over the nuclear program.

At the same time there has been more intense talk from the White House.

Bush said, “I’ve told people that if you are interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.”

Top officials have always said military options are a possibility. But experts say the recent talk takes that suggestion a step further.

This week Iranian officials will meet with the European Union in Rome to try and defuse tension with the west over its nuclear ambitions.