Britain, France and Germany said Wednesday Iran faces further sanctions if it refuses to cooperate with U.N. nuclear experts who say they have “credible” evidence of Iranian efforts to design a nuclear weapon. However, the experts say the West has few options in getting tougher on Tehran.
In a report released Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed “serious concern” about Iran's nuclear program, saying that although some of its components can have civilian applications, others are linked to nuclear weapons.
Iran has rejected allegations that its nuclear program has any military aim. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday Iran would not budge “one iota” from its nuclear activities. He rejected the IAEA report, saying it was based on lies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday urged the international community to stop what he called Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, which he says endangers the peace of the Middle East and the world.
Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni said the IAEA report makes clear where Iran is heading, while Defense Minister Ehud Barak said it appears the world has “the last opportunity to impose drastic, coordinated sanctions that would force Iran to stop” its nuclear weapons program.
Barak indicated that military attacks on Iranian nuclear installations should be the last option, but Israeli President Shimon Peres said that such attacks “were becoming more and more likely.”
Western powers say they want to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear-armed, but Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. The U.N. Security Council has already passed four sets of sanctions on Iran, but two permanent members — Russia and China — have so far shown little willingness to impose more.
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the Interfax news agency that Moscow believes new sanctions will be seen in the international community as a pretext to try to pursue “regime change” in Iran.
But British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday London is considering “additional measures” to increase pressure on Iran if it does not change direction.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe also warned of “unprecedented” sanctions if Iran refuses to address international concerns about its nuclear program. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said if Iran continues to ignore Western concerns, stronger sanctions will be inevitable. China said it is studying the IAEA report and called for dialogue and cooperation.
