WASHINGTON, May 4: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged Iran ‘not to make nuclear weapons under the pretext of developing a peaceful nuclear program.’ “There needs to be a very clear commitment from the Iranians to live up to their international obligations and not to seek nuclear weapons under cover of nuclear civilian power,” Ms Rice told journalists on Tuesday after talks with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Mr Solana said Iran knew the ‘consequences’ if it did not issue certain guarantees about its nuclear aims, hinting the issue could be brought before the UN Security Council.

Iran has rejected the US threat, saying it would continue effort to make nuclear fuel, but has also pledged to continue negotiations with the European Union aimed at easing international alarm.

Speaking on state television, President Mohammad Khatami pledged that any nuclear activities that may resume — despite a deal with Britain, France and Germany — would be ‘very far away’ from the process of enriching uranium. US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher also reiterated call for Iran to abandon uranium enrichment program.

“There is no reason for them to have enrichment and reprocessing program,” he said. “This is the only way for Iran to resolve this issue.” The US statements came after Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said his country was ‘determined’ to pursue legal areas of nuclear technology, including enrichment, exclusively for peaceful purposes.