"Our objective is to exert the pressure needed so that Iran restores a full, verifiable suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activity and cooperates fully with the I.A.E.A.," Mr. Straw said in a speech in London.
By ALAN COWELL
LONDON, March 13 — Britain's foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said today that any diplomatic pressure on Iran from the United Nations Security Council should be "incremental" and "reversible."
"We should leave the door open for negotiations with Iran to resume at any stage, should they come into compliance," he said.
"Our objective is to exert the pressure needed so that Iran restores a full, verifiable suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activity and cooperates fully with the I.A.E.A.," Mr. Straw said in a speech in London.
Mr. Straw is one of three foreign ministers — along with those of France and Germany — who represented the European Union in negotiations with Iran aimed at curbing its nuclear program. The talks have repeatedly stalled.
On Sunday, Iran said it had rejected a Russian proposal for a compromise on Iran's intention to enrich uranium. Russia, in an effort to defuse the nuclear dispute, had offered to enrich uranium for Iran for energy purposes if Iran would stop its own program.
Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, also hinted on Sunday that Iran might withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty over the decision by the I.A.E.A. last week to forward its case to the Security Council. "Action taken by the Security Council should be incremental, one step at a time," Mr. Straw said. He was speaking as Security Council members held private talks in New York in advance of a full meeting on Iran later this week. "And it should also be reversible so that we can respond to Iranian actions."
