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Meet ponders tougher measures against Iran

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: Diplomats from five permanent member-countries of the United Nations Security Council (U.S., Britain, France, China and Russia) and Germany gathered here on Monday to discuss tougher measures against Iran in the light of the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Tehran had failed to meet a U.N. deadline for suspending its nuclear activities.

No immediate announcement was expected, and observers said it could take "weeks'' before an agreement was reached on further sanctions to force Iran to stop its controversial uranium enrichment programme which, the West claims, is aimed at building a bomb. Iran insists that the programme is for peaceful purposes.

The BBC said the London meeting was "only the first step in what looks set to be an incremental process aimed at getting the Iranians back to the negotiating table.''

Among the measures likely to be discussed were travel bans on senior Iranian officials involved in the programme and greater restrictions on trade and transfer of technology.

Russia and China were expected to favour a diplomatic solution to the dispute.

The meeting came amid reports that America had stepped up its plans for a possible military attack on Iran.

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