Sarkozy calls for "arsenal" of sanctions against Iran

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday ruled out any imminent trip by his foreign minister to Iran and distanced himself from talk of an eventual war over Tehran's nuclear program.

In an interview with the New York Times, the French leader stressed his government's bottom line of "no nuclear weapon for Iran" and said he would press for "an arsenal of sanctions" to convince Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions.

But he took a step back from his Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner's position in media interviews one week ago, in which he said France was preparing for war as a worst-case scenario.

"For my part, I don't use the word 'war,'" Sarkozy told the Times. AFP