Foreign Office Minister Howells: We must pursue sanctions against Iran

Following the vague Iranian response to international proposals regarding its nuclear development programme, Foreign Office Minister Dr Kim Howells said that the international community has no choice but to pursue new sanctions against Iran. "Iran has a clear choice: engagement or isolation. We regret that Iran's leaders appear to have chosen isolation," he said. The statement came one day after Iran presented its response to the international package of incentives in return for an Iranian agreement to freeze uranium enrichment. The one-page letter received by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, gave no clear response to the proposals made by six world powers and evaded the issue of uranium enrichment altogether.

"Every day that the centrifuges continue to spin brings Iran closer to a nuclear weapons capability and threatens the stability and security of the region and the world," Sallai Meridor, Israel's ambassador to the United States, said. Meridor was expressing growing Israeli concern that the Iranian delays are intentional stall-tactics.

The evasive letter drew disappointed responses. In a conference call yesterday, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany agreed to begin considering new sanctions on Iran. Earlier this week, Britain, France and the US, which have taken the toughest line on the matter, sent a letter to the Security Council warning that Iran's central bank and other financial institutions are trying to dodge the sanctions imposed on financial dealings with Iran by camouflaging their moves and employing clandestine channels.

Dr. Howells statement suggests that Britain is determined to press ahead with sanctions against Iran though the process of approval and implementation may take several months. Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the UN, said there was no definite agreement among the six powers for a fourth round of sanctions against Iran. According to UN sources, nothing concrete would happen until the UN General Assembly meets in September, when the six powers would have the chance to try to convince Iran to get on board or get the unanimity needed for sanctions. A senior official from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, is heading to Tehran on Thursday to try to offer the Iranians the clarification they are seeking on the offer, he said.

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