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U.S. Draws Up Sanctions against Iran
Talks of deputy foreign ministers of the six international mediators in the Iranian nuke crisis are underway in London. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the meeting had “good progress” but rejected the idea of direct talks between the United States and Iran again. Washington is now drafting a plan to introduce sanctions on Iran without the UN Security Council’s resolution.
Senior officials from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Russia and China discussed the Iranian nuclear program in London yesterdays. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei in Washington on Wednesday. The head of the UN nuclear watchdog tried to convince the United States to hold direct talks with Iran insisting that U.S. guarantees for the Iranian regime will help to resolve the crisis. The Secretary of State dismissed the idea.
Official representatives of the White House confirmed this stance. The White House spokesperson Tony Snow said that bilateral talks may be hold only if Teheran suspends all uranium enrichment works. Sean McCormack, National Security Council Spokesman, urged Iran to behave in a more responsible manner as the international community requests. U.S. financial authorities are already considering sanctions against the Iranian regime, Sean McCormack reported.
Obviously, the UN Security Council will not adopt a tough resolution on Iran due to the opposition of Russia and China. Therefore, imposing one-sided sanctions seems the best option. Washington also expects its allies and partners to join. Sanctions against Iran were discussed during recent visits of deputy secretaries of state in Persian Gulf countries, McCormack noted. The U.S. Treasury Department is also negotiating the financial matters with European nations and Japan, the spokesperson said.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 26, 2006
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