EU and US at loggerheads over Iran’s nuke threat
Europe and the US were at loggerheads last night after a disagreement broke out on how best to deal with Iran’s apparent nuclear threat.
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), meets on Thursday in Vienna to discuss whether sanctions are necessary to force Tehran to comply with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In a recent report, the IAEA slammed Iran for 18 years of “lies” over its nuclear technology.
The IAEA said Tehran willingly covered up plans to make fissile material for nuclear weapons.
The US insists Iran is clearly in violation of the NPT and sanctions must ensue. Talks last night with European foreign ministers and US Secretary of State Colin Powell were reportedly “candid” and frank.
Mr Powell said: “I am pleased that Iran seems to be moving in the right direction now.
“But we can’t be satisfied until Iran has demonstrated that all of the programmes it had been pursuing have now been made known and they are now being brought to a halt.”
“We should not declare victory before victory has been achieved.”
Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany have come up with an alternative resolution that would allow on-the-spot UN inspections in exchange for assistance to boost domestic electricity production.
But Mr Powell said the resolution was “deficient,” as it did not include the threat of sanctions.
He told reporters: “We’re pleased that Iran seems to be responding to international pressure and trying to meet its obligations.
“But this is not something we should be congratulating them about.
“We want to be able to satisfy the international community that they have stopped doing anything that would lead to the development of nuclear weapons.”
