U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the meeting of political directors from the five permanent Security Council members and Germany was expected to focus on “what sanctions will be included in this next U.N. resolution.”
He denied a Fox News report that Germany had decided to withhold support for new sanctions against Iran, saying the German government had signaled at a recent experts meeting that it still supports the idea of a new sanctions resolution.
“The German government, in that meeting, reiterated to us their support for sanctions,” McCormack told reporters. Asked if Germany supported imposing additional sanctions against Iran, he said: “Yes, in a new Security Council resolution.”
The Security Council has adopted two sanctions resolutions against Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment that Western nations suspect is a cover for developing atomic bombs. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful and is designed to produce energy so it can export more of its oil and gas.
