LONDON – Six key world powers have agreed to discuss possible sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program but shied away from demanding Tehran be punished by the U.N. Security Council.
The United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia said in a joint statement Friday night after talks in London that they were “deeply disappointed” by Tehran’s refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, a key step toward making nuclear weapons.
Apparently divided about how quickly to move, the powers stopped short of declaring European negotiations with Iran a failure, as some had expected them to do.
U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns told American and British media that work on a new U.N. Security Council resolution allowing for sanctions would start next week.
“I am quite confident that we are now heading toward a sanctions resolution,” he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. “There will be tough negotiations ahead to define the specific nature of those sanctions. This is always a complex business.”
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said officials from the six nations will continue their talks in a teleconference on Monday or Tuesday.
Iran insists that its enrichment of uranium is purely for peaceful purposes to be used for nuclear energy. But the United States and many European nations think Iran is seeking to produce nuclear weapons.
The U.S. and Britain are leading the push for sanctions against Tehran. To avoid alienating the Russians and the Chinese – both major commercial partners of Iran – any measures are likely to be relatively mild, including embargoes on missile and nuclear technology, and possible travel bans and other penalties on Iranian officials involved in their country’s nuclear program.
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