Don’t these people know anything? Russia and China will not allow sanctions against Iran.

The United States on Tuesday urged Iran’s president to rethink his rejection of an August 31 UN deadline to halt uranium enrichment, and dismissed his call for a TV debate with President George W Bush.

If Iran ignores the deadline, sanctions by the UN Security Council are likely to be swift and ‘certainly will have an impact on the country,’ US State Department spokesman Tom Casey warned.

The Security Council last month gave Iran until Thursday to suspend uranium enrichment and other disputed nuclear activities or face possible sanctions.

‘There’s still time for them to do it,’ Casey said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad earlier Thursday flatly rebuffed the UN deadline, telling a news conference in Tehran that his country would not bow to ‘threats and ultimatums.’

He also challenged Bush to a televised debate ‘about world developments,’ a proposal ridiculed by the State Department.

‘I think this is a distraction,’ Casey told reporters.

‘And I also think it’s somewhat odd for the president of a country that represses all debate within its own society to be talking about free and open exchange of ideas.’

The UN deadline is backed by Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — the five veto-holding council members — plus Germany. The six powers have offered Iran a package of incentives if it stops uranium enrichment.

It is the council’s toughest action yet to keep Iran from building any nuclear weapons — an aim the Iran denies, saying its programme is purely for the civilian purpose of generating electricity.