The U.N. Security Council on Monday demanded that Iran suspend its nuclear activities in a month or face the threat of sanctions, but Tehran denounced the move as illegal and vowed to press on.The council vote was 14 to 1, with Qatar, the only Arab member, voting against.The resolution, which followed weeks of negotiations, demanded that Iran “suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development.”

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If Tehran does not comply by August 31, the council would consider adopting “appropriate measures” under Article 41 of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which refers to economic sanctions.

The resolution was the first on Iran to include legally binding demands and a sanctions threat. The United States and its allies suspect Iran is developing a nuclear bomb and accuse it of hiding its research for the past 18 years.

“It’s a strong resolution,” President Bush told reporters during a trip to Miami.

“The Iranians must hear loud and clear with this resolution the world’s intent, upon working together, to make sure that they do not end up with a nuclear weapon,” Bush said.