"We’ll see whether or not that is the firm position of their government," Bush said after a meeting with his Cabinet at the White House. "If they continue their obstinance, if they continue to say to the world `We really don’t care what your opinion is,’ then the world is going to act in concert."

With Russian and Chinese support crucial to crafting a deal for Iran that also includes a threat of sanctions, Bush said that he "got a positive response" from Russian President Vladimir Putin during a conversation on Tuesday.

"We expect Russia to participate in the United Nations Security Council," Bush said he told Putin. "We’ll see whether or not they agree to do that."

Countrywatch: Iran

He was less positive about his discussion of Iran earlier Thursday with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

"They understood our strategy," Bush said. "The most positive thing about all the conversations I had is there’s uniform agreement that the Iranians should not have a nuclear weapon. And we’ll discuss tactics and strategies to make sure the international community speaks with one clear voice."