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China is facing mounting pressure to go along with Western powers on the Iran nuclear issue, with the US and Europe joining hands on the need for fresh sanctions against the country.

On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama said he wants a fourth round of international sanctions against Iran to be in place "within weeks".

French President Nicolas Sarkozy also echoed Obama during a news conference in the White House, saying, "the time has come to take decisions".

"(With Germany and the UK) we will make all necessary efforts to make sure that Europe as a whole engages in the sanctions regime," Sarkozy said.

The same day, the world's leading industrialized nations too called for stronger action against Iran.

Foreign ministers from the Group of Eight nations issued a communique in Gatineau, Canada, saying they had agreed to take "appropriate and strong steps" to show their resolve over Iran's clandestine nuclear program.

Russia, which had supported China's stance that sanctions against Iran should be done only as a last resort, also seems to have shifted its position.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday said in a statement to members of the League of Arab States that the possibility of using new sanctions "cannot be excluded".

One day before the statement, Russia and the US, the world's premier nuclear superpowers struck a landmark agreement on cutting their nuclear arsenals by a third.

"China is faced with mounting pressure from other international players now," said Zhang Xiaodong, deputy director of the Chinese Association for Middle East Studies.

Zhang said the US-led UN Security Council would accelerate the process toward fresh sanctions as Iran has failed to provide a satisfactory solution. "China cannot single-handedly stop this from happening."

Questions:

1. Which president wants a fourth round of sanctions against Iran “within weeks”?

2. What is the name of the French president?

3. What is the name of the Russian president?

Answers:

1. US President Barack Obama.

2. Nicolas Sarkozy.

3. Dmitry Medvedev.

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.