Ahmadinejad says he wants uranium enrichment for medical purposes

Ahmadinejad delivers a punishing speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York and later says he wants enriched uranium for medical purposes. Medvedev indicates he may back stiffer sanctions against Iran.

After a blistering speech at the UN that initiated a walk-out among key delegates, including those from the UK, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the Washington Post that his interests in nuclear materials were for medical applications. Ahmadinejad also offered a meeting between Iranian nuclear scientists and those from the international community. A meeting between the U.S. and Iran is slated for Oct. 1 to discuss the nuclear question in detail. There has been a significant amount of pressure from U.S. and Western nations to institute stronger sanctions on Iran. There are fears among those nations that Iran intends to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies these allegations. However, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev indicated that Russia may support tougher sanctions should Iran not offer concessions. "Russia's position is simple: sanctions are seldom productive but they are sometimes inevitable. It is a matter of choice," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said.