Iran awaits IAEA’s verdict
Iran must wait until Friday to see if the IAEA imposes sanctions for the 18 years of “lies” over the state’s nuclear ambitions.
In Vienna, the board of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency met yesterday to discuss whether sanctions are necessary to force Iran to abide with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Parties from the EU and US failed to formulate a unanimously backed resolution.
The body discussed the merits of an alternative EU resolution on Iran’s failure to comply with the NPT.
Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany have formulated a diplomatic strategy without the need to report Iran to the UN Security Council in a bid to force the country to allow snap inspections in exchange for assistance to boost domestic electricity production.
But the US says the EU resolution is a “weak” deterrent and insists Iran remains in violation of the NPT and sanctions must ensue.
But the IAEA’s director general, Mohamed ElBaradei, has asked EU leaders to beef up the proposed resolution to include specific reference to “breaches.”
Mr ElBaradei said Tehran was guilty of “many breaches and failures to comply with its obligations.”
