Israel's Peres warns Iran of serious consequences on nuclear program

Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday warned Iran of possible serious consequences if it rejects a UN-backed draft deal over its nuclear program.

Peres, who was on a visit to Argentina, said at a seminar that Iran's insistence on expanding its nuclear program has arosed strong displeasure in the West and also caused deep international concerns.

Peres said that Iran's rejection of the draft agreement would probably propel Washington to take harsher measures against it.

Russia has said it would not rule out the possibility of imposing sanctions on Iran unless Teheran takes a constructive position at talks on its nuclear program, he said.

If a united front was formed in the West against Iran, it would exert great pressure on Tehran, even short of the use of force.

The Israeli president also questioned Teheran's statement on not seeking nuclear weapons, warning Iran of serious consequences if it insisted on pushing ahead with its nuclear program.

Little progress has been made in talks on the Iranian nuclear issue. Iran has yet to respond to the draft deal brokered by the UN atomic watchdog.

Source: Xinhua