Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. US to Increase Pressure on Iran VOA News 02 April 2010 U.S. President Barack Obama says the United States will continue to increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear program. The president said in an interview that aired Friday that the United States will"ratchet up the pressure" and see how Tehran responds. But he said that will be done with a unified international community. He said if Iran had nuclear weapons capacity, it would have destabilizing effects in the region and trigger an arms race in the Middle East. Mr. Obama's comments to CBS television come as Iran's chief nuclear envoy says China agrees with Tehran's position that sanctions are no longer a useful means of resolving the standoff with the West over Iran's nuclear program. The Obama administration announced this week that China will be a full participant in U.N. Security Council negotiations on a new set of sanctions against Iran for its controversial nuclear program. Iran's chief nuclear envoy, Saeed Jalili, met Friday in Beijing after talks with high-level officials, including Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.  Chinese officials did not directly address Jalili's remarks, but an earlier Chinese Foreign Ministry statement called for the nuclear dispute to be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, and for all sides to show "flexibility." Mr. Obama called for cooperation on the issue in a phone call late Thursday to Chinese President Hu Jintao. The United States and its allies suspect Iran is enriching uranium to develop nuclear weapons, a charge the Islamic Republic denies. The phone call between Mr. Obama and Mr. Hu occurred hours after China announced its president would attend a major two-day nuclear security summit in Washington beginning April 12. Relations between China and the United States have been strained over a number of issues, including trade, $6.4 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, and the value of the Chinese currency.  Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. .