LONDON, March 10 (AFP) - Britain indicated that it is taking Iran's threat to inflict "harm and pain" seriously after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agreed to refer the Islamic republic to the UN Security Council.
"It is a rhetorical threat at this stage, but because Iran has a record of using violence in support of foreign policy objectives we have to take it seriously," a Foreign Office official said.
It is expected that the UN Security Council will issue a "political call" to Tehran to comply with its international obligations and cease work on uranium enrichment, the official added.
He said he believed that Iran would be given about 30 days to comply, "that's the order of magnitude", but he refused to be drawn on what action, such as sanctions, could follow if Iran fails to act.
Britain, France and Germany have been at the forefront of European Union diplomatic efforts, backed by the United States, to steer Iran away from its feared development of nuclear weapons.
Iran insists that its nuclear ambitions are strictly peaceful and civilian, something the IAEA says it cannot ascertain for sure. But it upped the ante Wednesday when it threatened "harm and pain" on the United States particularly if the dispute escalates.
The Foreign Office official, quoted anonymously by the domestic Press Association news agency, said that in Britain's view, there should be an "incremental" build-up of international pressure.
"We will be looking to bring home to the Iranian leadership that they cannot defy the concerted efforts of the international community without some penalty," he said.
While Britain maintains that military action is "not on the agenda", the official acknowledged that the time available to find a diplomatic solution was not infinite.
"In the worst case, Iran could acquire the technology in much less than the five years or so we believe it would take them to acquire a nuclear weapon," he said. "I think a year is a realistic period."
If that were to happen, it could have a destabilising effect across the Middle East region, the official said, echoing a view previously expressed by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
"It would be really damaging to regional security if Iran even acquired the technology to enable it to develop a nuclear weapon," he said.
Straw is scheduled to make a major address on Iran at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a foreign policy think-tank in London, on Monday.
