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Pressure mounts on Iran

Atul Aneja

DUBAI: The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany have agreed to discuss imposition of sanctions against Iran following its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

At the end of the meeting in London on Friday of the Foreign Ministers of the six countries, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett announced that consultations would now commence on the sanctions.

The door would be kept open for Iran to join negotiations, provided it retracts. Article 41 allows the Security Council to impose diplomatic and economic sanctions on a member state which does not comply with its agreed position. Among the six countries, Russia and China have been opposing sanctions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday the crisis could be defused only through negotiations.

"All the measures that could be considered should be aimed exclusively at pushing Iran back to the negotiating table. That is the only way."

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