Iran's supreme leader says his country is prepared to share nuclear technology with other countries.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the remark Tuesday to visiting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, three days before the U.N. Security Council deadline for Iran to stop enriching uranium.

Their talks came as Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani warned that Tehran would stop cooperating with the U.N. nuclear agency if the Security Council imposes sanctions against Iran.

In Washington, the White House accused Iran of seeking to escalate the standoff over its nuclear program. Spokesman Scott McClellan also said it is time for the Security Council to consider what action needs to be taken for what he called Tehran's "continued defiance."

Iranian leaders have vowed to proceed with uranium enrichment despite the Council's demand last month for Tehran to halt the process.

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, says the Council plans to consider a resolution to legally require Iran to comply with international nuclear demands. But permanent Council members China and Russia have opposed such a measure.

The United States and the European Union allege Iran is seeking to develop an atomic bomb - a charge Tehran denies.

In other news, Russia launched an Israeli reconnaissance satellite into orbit. News reports from Israel say the satellite is designed to improve the country's surveillance of Iran's nuclear program.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.