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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| EU toughens Iran sanctions; Tehran offers talks |
| 2010-07-27 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Iran said on Monday it was ready to return to talks on a nuclear fuel swap, a surprise that came shortly after the European Union agreed tougher sanctions, including a block on oil and gas investment. EU foreign ministers approved a range of extra restrictions on Iran that went well beyond U.N. sanctions agreed last month and included a ban on dealing with Iranian banks and insurance companies and steps to prevent investment in Tehran's lucrative oil and gas sector, including refining. "Today we sent out a powerful message to Iran, and that message is that their nuclear program is a cause of serious and growing concern to us," EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton told reporters. "But our objective remains, as I have always said, to persuade Iranian leaders that their interest is served by a return to the table. Sanctions are not an end in themselves," she said after the ministers met in Brussels. Shortly afterwards, Iran said it was prepared to return to negotiations on a nuclear fuel swap "without conditions", according to the official IRNA news agency. Talking of a letter that Iran handed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran's envoy to the U.N. agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said: "The clear message of this letter was Iran's complete readiness to hold negotiations over the fuel for the Tehran reactor without any conditions." The announcement appeared to be an Iranian signal of willingness to negotiate as a net of U.N., EU and U.S. sanctions tightens around it, but it was not clear that the quick offer of fuel swap talks would be enough to placate world powers. |
| Posted by:Fred |