U.S. President George W. Bush said on Friday that the international community should double efforts to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

"It says to me that we must double our effort to work with the international community to persuade the Iranians that there is only isolation from the world if they continue working forward on such a program," Bush said after his meeting at the White House with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

"I've read the speculation about that that's what they may be doing. But whether they double it or not, the idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon is unacceptable. It's unacceptable to the United States, and it's unacceptable to nations we are working with in the United Nations to send a common message," Bush said.

Bush made the remarks after reports said that Iranian scientists had begun feeding gas into a second cascade of centrifuges to enrich uranium.

The United States has accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, and has been trying to impose sanctions on Iran through the UN Security Council. However, Iran has insisted that its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes only.

Source: Xinhua