The EU appears inclined to side with the US in seeking the UN Security Council's involvement over Iran's controversial decision to resume uranium processing, ending a suspension that was the cornerstone of Tehran's November 2004 agreement with the so-called EU-3 states of Britain, France and Germany. The resumption of Iran's nuclear activities has been confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna and the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. The European negotiators said that for now they would not seek immediate economic sanctions from the UN. Instead, the EU's aim is to employ more diplomacy.
The EU appears inclined to side with the US in seeking the UN Security Council's involvement over Iran's controversial decision to resume uranium processing, ending a suspension that was the cornerstone of Tehran's November 2004 agreement with the so-called EU-3 states of Britain, France and Germany. The resumption of Iran's nuclear activities has been confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna and the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. The European negotiators said that for now they would not seek immediate economic sanctions from the UN. Instead, the EU's aim is to employ more diplomacy.
Tehran has said that referring the case to the UN was a "threat that is doomed to fail".
The EU-3 has been negotiating with Tehran for two years to persuade it to abandon its uranium enrichment programme, which is understood to have the potential to be used to produce nuclear weapons. The latest IAEA report said that the agency was "still not in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran".
In a related development, Pakistan has offered to play the role of a facilitator between Iran, the EU and the US for a peaceful negotiated settlement of the issue.
