Bush confident on Iran following Putin meeting

President Bush said Friday following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.that he's confident that the international community will refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council if it does not account for what the United States contends is a record of nuclear deceit.

Putin said he shared the U.S. goal of an Iran without nuclear arms, but offered no sign that he supported a referral to the Security Council. He also repeated the contention by Iranian leaders disputed by the Bush administration that Tehran has no ambitions for developing a nuclear weapon and instead wants its program for civilian energy use alone.

Putin said that Russia opposes Iran becoming "a nuclear power and will continue to do so in the future under any circumstances." Working to strike a conciliatory note with Russia, Bush said the two nations generally agree on a need to avert nuclear proliferation by other nations, including North Korea.

The two, however, disagree over how to address Iran's nuclear programs and have long-running differences over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq the third member of what Bush called the "axis of evil." Like Bush, Putin sought to show unity. He said there isn't a wide breech between the two nations about how to quell Iran and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Bush said he talked with Putin about cooperating in fighting terrorists and the U.S.-Russia economic relationship. He said he would help get negotiations completed to get Russia admitted to the World Trade Organization by the end of the year, ABC News reports.