New proposals on Iran sanctions

Britain, France and Germany have sent a new proposal to Russia, China and the United States that could lead to UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, the French foreign ministry said today.

Informal talks were ongoing towards measures against Tehran under the UN Charter, which would allow for some types of non-military sanctions, ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said.

US and European diplomats have been negotiating with Russia and China over a draft UN Security Council resolution that would penalise Iran for its refusal to respect an August 31 deadline for halting uranium enrichment – a process that could lead to building nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, to generate electricity.

France, Germany and Britain presented the new proposal to permanent Security Council members Russia, China and the United States “in hopes of taking into account one another’s concerns,” Mattei said.

“The general philosophy of the text remains the same – that’s to say targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programmes, plus the companies that lead them and the individuals behind them,” Mattei said.