In an interview with the Al-Arabiya satellite network, Bush said he was determined to seek resolution of these issues through diplomatic means and that he will try to impose new sanctions that will force the Islamic state to renounce its uranium enrichment activities.

"The Iranian regime must understand that I'm dedicated to the proposition that they should not continue their desire to enrich, as will be people that follow me in office," the president said.

"There is universal concern about Iranian ambition here in America. This is not a party issue, an issue between one party or the other," he said.

More tense relations between Washington and Tehran have fueled concerns that Bush may decide to use force against the country before the end of his presidency.

But Bush dismissed reports that he had already ordered to prepare a military strike against Iran for January or February.

"I would call that empty propaganda," the president said. "And that kind of gossip is just what it is -- it's gossip, it's baseless gossip."

Iran denies Western charges that it seeks nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian atomic energy program, and has drawn UN sanctions for refusing to freeze its uranium enrichment, which can yield materials for a nuclear bomb.

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