Obama threatens more Iran sanctions; Ahmadinejad defiant

JPost -- US, French presidents speak via telephone, express hope Iran will take advantage of upcoming P5+1 meetings; Obama says if talks fail, he will proceed with sanctions; Ahmadinejad: We will not give up nuke program.

The US will continue to pressure the Iranian regime through sanctions if the upcoming P5+1 talks fail to lead to a negotiated settlement over Tehran's nuclear program, US President Barack Obama said Thursday.

Obama's comments followed a defiant speech made earlier Thursday by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said that Tehran would not surrender its nuclear rights "even under the most difficult pressure."

Talks between Iran and the United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and Britain are set to resume in Istanbul on Saturday with the major powers hoping Iran will give enough ground to continue negotiations and avert the threat of a Middle East war. They are the first such talks in more than a year.

Iran has promised to put forward "new initiatives" but has given no details.

The US president spoke via telephone about the contentious issue with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In a press conference, White House press secretary Jay Carney said that "both leaders expressed hope that Iran would take advantage of the upcoming P5+1 talks to address the international community's concerns on their nuclear program."

He added that "the US will continue to pressure the regime through sanctions if they remain unresponsive to the efforts."

Reuters contributed to this report.