President Bush says the international community must keep the pressure on Iran to give up its alleged nuclear weapons program.
At a White House news conference Thursday, Mr. Bush said the objective is to solve the Iran nuclear issue peacefully.
But he said the message to Iran must be that the world will not allow Tehran to gain the knowledge of how to build a nuclear weapon.
He said it is important to take seriously the threats from Iran, including remarks about using force against Israel. President Bush also said Thursday that he understands why New York City Police have denied a request by Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to visit the World Trade Center site and place a wreath there for the victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001. He said Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. The Iranian government has not yet commented on the denial of President Ahmadinejad's request.