EU gets tough on Iran nuclear stance

THE EU ratcheted up pressure on Iran over its human rights record and nuclear programme yesterday.

Iran earlier said it was losing patience with UN inspections of its nuclear programme. The comments came as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was meeting yesterday in Vienna to examine Iran’s case.

Iran said an agreement with the Europeans to halt uranium enrichment would soon come to an end.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels agreed to co-sponsor a Canadian human rights resolution following the threat to resume its nuclear enrichment programme.

Dutch minister Bernard Bot, who chaired the foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, said there must be complete suspension of all enrichment activities.

“We have agreed to co-sponsor with Canada a human rights resolution because we are now convinced that the human rights situation has deteriorated over the past few years,” he said.

The EU ministers agreed to wait to hear whether the UN’s nuclear watchdog decides if Iran’s nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes as they claim.

The patience of some ministers was wearing thin, some saying it would be cheaper for Iran to buy its enriched uranium than to try to make it themselves.

The US says Iran has a secret nuclear bomb plan.