EU expected to tighten sanctions against Iran

Pressure is building for the EU to tighten its sanctions on Iran but a decision is unlikely to be made before mid-December, according to Brussels diplomats.

France and the UK are currently drawing up proposals for tougher measures that will be discussed by EU foreign ministers scheduled to meet in Brussels next week (19 November). The EU already has sanctions against Iran that are tougher than those introduced by the United Nations.

Javier Solana, the Union’s foreign-policy chief, will present to EU ministers next week (19 November) a report on Iran’s covert uranium-enrichment programme.

Just three days later (22 November) the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, will meet to discuss a report submitted this week by IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei on Iran’s co-operation with the agency.

The two reports are likely to strengthen the position of those governments that want stronger measures against Iran, though Israeli officials expressed their dissatisfaction with ElBaradei’s work ahead of his report.

An Israeli diplomat did not want to comment on the issue before the report had been made public.

The EU is unlikely to take action before its foreign ministers meet again on 10 December, but the situation on the ground is developing quickly.

Iran announced last Wednesday (7 November) that it now had 3,000 centrifuges in operation at its Natanz plant, which in principle could produce sufficient materials for a nuclear weapon within as little as one year. The Iranians maintain that their nuclear programme serves exclusively peaceful purposes.

Western governments fear that the announcement might prompt a pre-emptive strike by Israel, though military experts say that air strikes are unlikely to wipe out Iran’s capability.

Diplomacy is now focusing on those EU member states - especially Germany, Iran’s most important foreign trade partner - that are reluctant to step up sanctions without a UN resolution. Iran topped the agenda of a weekend meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President George W. Bush at his Texas ranch (9-10 November). The German government seems to be moving closer to the hard line on Iran taken by French President Nicolas Sarozy, who visited the White House earlier last week.

Some German firms have abandoned the Iranian market, primarily because of the uncertainty surrounding any investments in the Islamic Republic.

Sarkozy on Tuesday (13 November) criticised Germany for not taking a tougher line on sanctions against Iran. He told a meeting of leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups in Strasbourg that Germany did not want to spoil German companies’ chances of winning contracts in Iran.

The comments came only a day after a meeting between Sarkozy and Merkel at which the two agreed to focus on diplomatic efforts over Iran’s nuclear programme.

The French government has suggested that individual member states need not wait for the EU to tighten sanctions and has encouraged French firms to scale back their dealings with Tehran.

Pressure is building for the EU to tighten its sanctions on Iran but a decision is unlikely to be made before mid-December, according to Brussels diplomats.