EU, U.S. ready for more moves to pressure Iran
Published: Tuesday, June 10, 2008
12:40GMT—8:40AM/EST
EU – U.S. – SUMMIT – IRAN – SANCTIONS
Washington, 10 June (IranVNC)—The European Union and the United States warned Iran today that they are prepared to take additional steps to pressure Tehran into suspending its uranium enrichment activities, an EU-U.S. summit statement read, according to Reuters.
“We are ready to supplement those (United Nations Security Council) sanctions with additional measures,” the communiqué stated. The Security Council has passed three rounds of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear work. The latest U.N. resolution, passed in March, expanded a black-list of individuals and companies connected with Iran’s nuclear and military program.
“We will continue to work together… to take steps to ensure Iranian banks cannot abuse the international banking system to support proliferation and terrorism,” the statement added.
Washington has pressed EU states to limit their financial dealings with Iranian banks to further pressure Tehran.
The U.S. accuses Iran of using the international banking system to fund “terrorist” operations throughout the Middle East.
The U.S. imposed unilateral sanctions against four of Iran’s largest financial institutions in October 2007. The effect of the sanctions is “to use the Iranian government’s own mismanagement of its economy against them” and increase Iran’s costs of doing business within the international system, State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said yesterday.
The EU and U.S. must “make sure there are no evasion whereby Iranian banks can continue to do business to further this nuclear program, which I think we all agree, must be terminated,” U.S. special envoy to the EU, C. Boyden Gray, was quoted by AFP as saying yesterday.
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered the transfer of billions of dollars of Iranian assets from Europe to Iran’s Central Bank through companies in Persian Gulf countries, Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday.
Iran’s Bank Melli, which is reported to be a target of EU sanctions, was ordered to “smuggle assets held in Europe back to Iran,” unnamed Western diplomats told the London-based daily. Reuters reported last month that the EU was preparing to freeze the bank’s assets and funds if Tehran does not accept an incentives package offered by the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany [P5+1].
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said yesterday that he will “probably” travel to Tehran on June 15 to present the latest offer on behalf of the P5+1, AFP reported.
The summit leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear issue, which the West fears Tehran is using to guise a nuclear weapon program. Iran insists that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful energy production.
“We affirm the dual track strategy on this issue which was reinforced by the incentives package and reiterate our belief that a mutually satisfactory, negotiated solution remains open to Iran,” the summit statement said, according to Reuters.
Sources: Reuters, Agence France-Presse, U.S. State Department website
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