Friday, September 1 2006 17:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Tehran: Iran has defied a UN deadline to stop enriching uranium, clearing the path for Security Council sanctions sparked by concerns Tehran might be seeking to build nuclear weapons.

Iran's hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, lashed out at the United States, calling it 'tyrannical' and insisting Tehran will not be 'bullied.'

And other Iranian officials said the country could withstand any punishment the UN Security Council might impose.

But US President George W Bush called for consequences to Iran's defiance," saying the world now faces a grave threat from the radical regime in Iran.

"We must not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon," Bush said in a speech in Salt Lake City. He said Washington hopes for a diplomatic solution, but insisted it is time for Iran to make a choice whether to cooperate with the United Nations.

The last day of the Security Council deadline, yesterday, passed with no change in the Iranian position.

The formal trigger for possible UN sanctions was provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency with a report issued yesterday in Vienna on Iran's compliance.

The report confirmed that Tehran has not halted uranium enrichment, and that three years of IAEA probing has been unable to confirm the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme because of lack of cooperation from Tehran.

The council had set the deadline on July 31 and had asked he agency to report on Tehran's compliance, dangling the hreat of sanctions if Iran defied its will.