Honolulu, Saturday. President Barack Obama is expected to personally impress upon the leaders of Russia and China deep US concerns over a UN watchdog's report that Iran has worked on nuclear weapons systems.But Moscow and Beijing are cool to a US call for more sanctions on Tehran following the release of the International Atomic Energy Agency report which heightened fears of Israeli military action against Iranian nuclear sites.

Obama will get his first chance to discuss the report with President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and China's President Hu Jintao in his native Hawaii in bilateral meetings on the eve of an Asia-Pacific economic summit.

Ben Rhodes, a deputy US national security advisor, said Friday that the president would seek international consensus on new action against Tehran. "I think the report just recently came out. I think everybody needs to take the time to review the report," he said, when asked about vehement Russian criticism of the study.

"We will want to communicate directly with the Russians about our concerns with the report," said Rhodes, who told reporters aboard Air Force One that Obama would also bring up the issue in talks with Hu.

Rhodes also signalled however that should UN Security Council permanent members Russia and China oppose further multi-lateral sanctions on Iran, Washington would seek to build support for sanctions elsewhere.He said Washington would work with "likeminded states" to tighten a sanctions regime which US officials believe has brought the Iranian economy to a near standstill.  (AFP)

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