The meeting comes after the UN nuclear watchdog confirmed
But the West's efforts to curb
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted by
"We dismantled the rear gear and brakes of the train and threw them away sometime ago," Ahmadinejad was quoted as telling a gathering of Islamic clerics.
Another Iranian official affirmed
Manouchehr Mohammadi, one of the deputies to the foreign minister, was quoted by ISNA as saying at a conference in the central city of
"We have prepared ourselves for any situation, even for war."
'Dangerous' stand-off
Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, said that what Iran needed was not a reverse gear, but a stop button.
She also pledged direct talks with Iranian officials if
The diplomatic stand-off has also been described as "dangerous" by foreign ministers from seven Muslim states who met in
"It is vital that all issues must be resolved through diplomacy and there must be no resort to use of force," said a statement agreed by the ministers representing
New Zealand and
Hours prior to the
The concern of the international community is how to get
Helen Clark, the New Zealand Prime Minister, said: "The problem is the lack of transparency. What the international community is asking for is transparency, open your facilities, be honest, give the information, don't play games ... The pressure has to go on for full disclosure."