Sanctions won't change "rational" nuclear policy: Iran

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister, speaking as world powers met to consider tougher sanctions against his country, said on Friday that sanctions would not sway Tehran's "rational" nuclear policy.

"Sanctions as a political tool for exerting pressure is ineffective in making Iran change its basically rational policy choice," Manouchehr Mottaki said at a meeting of the Asia Society in New York.

He was speaking as foreign ministers of the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany met in the same city to discuss ways of increasing pressure on Iran to comply with U.N. demands that it suspend uranium enrichment, which the West suspects is aimed at developing a bomb.