Foreign ministers agree to keep pressure on Iran

European Union foreign ministers agreed today to keep pressure on Iran, warning it would pursue further UN sanctions if Tehran failed to abide by international demands it suspend its nuclear activities and return to negotiations.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who chaired EU foreign ministers talks here said diplomats from the United Nations Security Council in New York were busy drafting a text for “a possible resolution” on further sanctions.

EU foreign ministers said in a joint statement that they will continue to support UN measures against Tehran over its nuclear program and backed future Security Council moves “to adopt further appropriate measures … should Iran fail to comply.”

Germany and the five permanent members of the Security Council – the US, Russia, China, France, and Britain – agreed “to try to come forward with a rapid resolution which would express the determination of the international community vis a vis the Iranian nuclear dossier,” Steinmeier said.