Special report: Iran Nuclear
Crisis
Iran replies to six-nation
proposal
Iran launches military
exercise
VIENNA, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sanctions should be
imposed on Iran if it still refuses to comply with the UN Security Council
resolution, United States representative to the organization said here on
Wednesday.
Speaking at the IAEA meeting of the Board of
Governors, U.S. Ambassador Gregory Shulte said, "Iran's refusal to
suspend and its
refusal to cooperate is a choice of confrontation over negotiation."
"Time has come for the Security Council to back
international diplomacy with international sanctions," he said.
The quality of Iran's cooperation with the
Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has "seriously" declined.
The U.S. diplomat said that Iran loaded another batch
of uranium hexafluoride into its 164-machine cascade just seven days before Aug.
31, the date the UN Security Council set as deadline for Iran's compliance with
Resolution 1696.
Shulte said that such position would result in
further isolation and sanctions.
The U.S. official said that "we must take further
steps to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions."
"Iran must abandon its quest of nuclear weapons and
fully meet its non-proliferation obligations," Shulte said, adding that the
United States has worked with Europe, Russia, China and other like-minded
countries to present Iran's leaders with a clear choice.
The negative choice is for Iran to maintain its
present course of defiance -- violating the mandatory conditions laid out by the
international community, while the positive choice is for it to cooperate and
take tangible steps to assure the international community that their nuclear
program is peaceful, Shulte said.
He said however, that "we do not seek to deny Iran
nuclear energy, but Iran's pursuit of nuclear energy must be in conformity with
Iran's commitments and international obligations."
He said that Iran has failed to comply with UN
Security Council Resolution 1696, which makes suspension of enrichment-related
activities no longer a voluntary confidence-building measure but mandatory,
adding that Iran continues to press ahead to master enrichment in defiance of
not only the Board of IAEA, but also the UN Security Council.
It's time for the Security Council to back
international diplomacy with international sanctions, the U.S. ambassador said.
But he did said that sanctions will not signal an end
to diplomacy, rather, they would be an essential element of diplomacy. Enditem
Annan calls for patience on Iran issue
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed on Wednesday for more patience on Iranian nuclear issue in order to find solution through negotiations. >>>
ElBaradei: negotiation best option for
Iran nuclear issue
VIENNA, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) will try its best to bring back all parties concerned over
the Iran nuclear issue back to negotiation table, Hohamed ElBaradei, director
general of IAEA said here on Monday. >>>
Iran reiterates rejection to
enrichment suspension
TEHRAN, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iran reiterated on Sunday its
rejection to a UN demand for it to halt uranium enrichment, saying the question
of suspension is something "in the past". >>>
EU, Iran declare headway in nuclear
talks
VIENNA, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and
Iran have made headway in their nuclear talks in Vienna, officials of both sides
declared on Sunday. >>>
US sanctions on Iran likely to focus
on finances
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United States is
likely to have sanctions on Iran to focus on cutting Tehran's Watch access to
international finances, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday. >>>
