Obama urges Iran to settle nuclear dispute

US President Barack Obama insisted that “now is the time” for Iran to take meaningful steps to resolve its nuclear standoff.Obama used the occasion of Iran’s new year celebration to try to ratchet up pressure on Tehran. But this time he focused squarely on its disputed nuclear program, which is expected to be high on the agenda when he visits Israel, Iran’s arch-foe.In the video message with Farsi subtitles, Obama coupled a call for Tehran to meet international demands to curb its nuclear ambitions with a warning that otherwise it would face further isolation – a suggestion that it could be hit with even tighter sanctions.“Now is the time for the Iranian government to take immediate and meaningful steps to reduce tensions and work toward an enduring, long-term settlement of the nuclear issue,” he said.Tempering his warning, Obama said the United States preferred a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the dispute that would give Tehran access to peaceful nuclear energy and “its rightful place among the community of nations.”“If the Iranian government continues down its current path, it will only further isolate Iran. This is the choice now before Iran’s leaders,” he said.