Iran may face sanction for riling Israel

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad aggravated tensions with the West this week by calling the Holocaust a "myth," a statement that came two months after he called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

European leaders said Ahmadinejad's remarks were the latest "provocative political moves" from Tehran since May.

"These comments are wholly unacceptable and have no place in civilized political debate," the leaders said in a summit statement Saturday.

EU leaders warned Tehran they would review diplomatic options for possible sanctions against Iran.

The condemnation came as Iran prepares to resume talks Wednesday with European envoys over its nuclear program, which the EU and United States fear is intended to build atomic weapons. Envoys from Britain, Germany and France are trying to get Tehran to halt uranium enrichment.

"I haven't seen any evidence that Iran is interested in a deal that is going to be acceptable to an international community that is extremely sceptical of what the Iranians are up to," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told The Associated Press in Washington.

Rice predicted the United States would have enough votes at the UN Security Council to impose international sanctions against Iran but hinted she was waiting for other nations to join such an effort.

"We also recognize that it is important for others to also come to the conclusion that we've exhausted the diplomatic possibilities," she said.