Iran’s president is set to use a speech at a leading US university to challenge George W Bush at a time of high tensions with Washington over his country’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The US military detained an Iranian in northern Iraq, sparking a new row with Iran which insisted the man held was part of a business delegation.

President Nicolas Sarkozy reaffirmed that France does not want a war with Iran over its nuclear program, but he renewed his allegations against Iran once again.