U.S. President George W. Bush will urge his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to support a significant escalation of pressure on Iran at their meeting later on Sunday.
On Friday, just 48 hours before Putin was to arrive at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, U.S. officials discussed for the first time with Russia and other members of the United Nations Security Council a proposal to require all nations to inspect cargo to or from Iran for illicit nuclear-related material or arms.
None of the two successive UN resolutions has achieved the goal of forcing Iran to suspend its enrichment of uranium.
Bush is increasingly intent on stopping the Iranian nuclear program, the New York Times quoted an unidentified senior official as saying.
Bush will not discuss the specifics of the U.S. plan with Putin,but "he will make the point that this is the third set of sanctions against Iran, and now we have to make them really count," the official said.
For the Americans, the effort to squeeze Iran is the most immediate issue on the table with Putin. Washington needs Russia's support as it presses the UN Security Council to pass new sanctions, the third round this year, by mid-July, the New York Times said.
Putin is due to arrive at Kennebunkport on Sunday afternoon at Bush's invitation to begin his two-day visit.
Besides the Iran issue, the two leaders are also expected to focus on the Middle East, missile defense, the future of Kosovo and a civilian nuclear reactor cooperation initiative.
