Medvedev warn(s) Iran over its nuclear actions

Obama, Medvedev warn Iran over its nuclear actions

US and Russian presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday warned Iran of possible sanctions over its nuclear programme shortly after signing a landmark disarmament deal in Prague.

A week before a nuclear security summit in Washington and a month before a UN conference on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in New York, both leaders spoke of sanctions on Iran -- an NPT signatory -- over its nuclear programme.

Obama said the United States and its allies "will not tolerate actions that flout the NPT," and called for "smart" and "strong" new UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.

"Those nations that refuse to meet their obligations will be isolated, and denied the opportunity that comes with international integration," he said.

And Russia's Dmitry Medvedev said at a joint press conference that "we cannot close our eyes" to Tehran "not reacting to an array of constructive compromise proposals."

"I have said many times that sanctions very often do not work, but sometimes they are necessary... These need to be smart sanctions, capable of prompting the right behaviour," Medvedev said.

The US and other Western nations believe Iran has a covert nuclear weapons programme, an accusation strongly denied by Tehran.

The Obama administration, which has been seeking Russian support at the UN Security Council for tougher sanctions against Iran, saw a ray of hope in Prague as Medvedev said he could not "exclude that the UN Security Council will have to look into this."

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