EU foreign ministers agreed yesterday to apply UN sanctions on
Iran "in full and without delay" and if necessary go further than a
UN list in targeting those linked to Teheran's nuclear work.
The EU move is the latest step by the West to ratchet up
pressure on Iran to halt uranium enrichment after US State
Secretary Condoleezza Rice was quoted at the weekend as warning
companies of the risks of doing business with Iran.
Teheran maintains that its nuclear ambitions are limited to
generating electricity. The EU and the United States suspect
Teheran is secretly seeking to build nuclear bombs.
They say it will face harsher sanctions if it ignores the
resolution unanimously passed on December 23 at the behest of the
United States, Britain, Russia, China and France. The resolution
gave Iran 60 days to suspend nuclear fuel-enrichment activity.
EU ministers called on "all countries to implement the measures
in full and without delay," according to a statement released at
the meeting.
The UN sanctions resolution bans transfers of sensitive nuclear
materials to Iran, freezes financial assets of those associated
with the nuclear program and asks countries to pass on information
about the whereabouts of individuals on the list.
EU foreign ministers agreed to slap travel and asset freezes on
all individuals covered by the criteria, as well as stopping them
from carrying out transactions with the bloc.
They also vowed to prevent Iranian nationals studying
proliferation-sensitive subjects within the EU in a move that would
potentially go beyond the UN sanctions, diplomats said.
The EU has led international diplomacy based on an offer made
last June of trade, political and technical incentives for Iran to
give up uranium enrichment, and ministers confirmed the offer
remained on the table.
38 UN inspectors barred
Iran has barred 38 inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog, the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), from entering the
country, an Iranian politician was quoted by Iran's ISNA news
agency as saying yesterday.
The agency said the move was a "first step" in limiting
cooperation with the IAEA, in line with a demand made by parliament
after UN sanctions were imposed on Iran a month ago.
Last year Iran temporarily denied visas to some inspectors and
curtailed the frequency of visits to facilities by inspectors
already in the country.
"Iran has decided not to give entry permission to 38 inspectors
from the IAEA and has announced this limitation to the IAEA
officially," the head of the parliament's Foreign Affairs and
National Security Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said.
(China Daily January 23, 2007)
