Security Council close to imposing sanctions on Iran
Dated 13/4/2006
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Britain, France and Germany are almost ready with a draft proposal for UN Security Council economic sanctions against Iran, but a delegation is due in Moscow to convince Russia to go alongwith this.
Iran announced it had successfully enriched low-grade uranium at one of its facilities, and this has provoked the EU-3's sanctions' decision, although the IAEA chief, Mohammed El Baradei, visiting Iran, said he hoped to convince the regime to suspend its enrichment programme "while outstanding issues are clarified".
The US and EU position is Iran has crossed the threshold for a peaceful solution by enriching uranium, and that a feeble response would embolden it like North Korea in the Nineties to quit the NPT and become a rogue nuclear state.
While the US has already said Iran is "moving in the wrong direction", the EU-3 are also pressing for action so as not to encourage Iran to defy the international community further, but a final decision awaits the outcome of El Baradei's visit, and the Russian reaction to the sanctions' move.
