Obama vows to press Iran over nuclear energy program

The US has vowed to maintain pressure on Iran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program, despite all the evidence confirming the peaceful purposes behind the program. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that the United States was seeking to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. "The window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking,” Reuters quoted him as saying. Obama made the remark in a joint news conference with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron, who highlighted London’s leading role in enforcing sanctions on Iran. The United States, Israel and their European allies accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran vehemently denies. Iran insists its nuclear program is purely civilian, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran is entitled to the peaceful use of nuclear technology. Washington's accusations against Iran run contrary to reports by US intelligence units. A group of 16 US intelligence services, known as the National Intelligence Estimate, has confirmed in various reports that Iran’s nuclear program has no military dimension. US officials have also repeatedly conceded that there is no proof that Tehran is pursuing atomic weapons under the cover of its nuclear energy program.