EU anxious about Iran’s nuclear non-compliance

Iran Focus: Brussels, Sep. 3 – As he arrived in the Netherlands to attend a meeting of the ‘EU three’ today, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the EU was concerned over Iran ignoring its nuclear obligations. “We have all been perplexed and saddened that the Iranian government has not completed all the tasks it said it would,” Straw noted. Iran Focus

Brussels, Sep. 3 – As he arrived in the Netherlands to attend a meeting of the ‘EU three’ today, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the EU was concerned over Iran ignoring its nuclear obligations. “We have all been perplexed and saddened that the Iranian government has not completed all the tasks it said it would,” Straw noted.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, released a new report this week, which cast doubts Iran’s claims about the ‘peaceful nature’ of its nuclear program.

Straw added that the IAEA’s most recent report on Iran was full of “clear reservations” about Iran’s nuclear activities and its attempts to conceal the extent of its operations.

The Netherlands, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, also chided Iran for its lack of cooperation with the IAEA. Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot told reporters there was no secret about the fact that the EU was deeply concerned about Tehran’s nuclear activities.

Speaking in Brussels on Wednesday, EU’s external relations Commissioner Chris Patten said that Iran lacked progress on many issues, which he described as one of the “biggest regrets” of his five-year tenure as commissioner. He said that Iran was moving backwards when it comes to meeting the demands of the UN and that it had been unwilling to follow on its end of the bargain.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Colin Powell asked the EU to end its soft approach towards Iran and instead refer Iran’s nuclear dossier to the U.N. Security Council for sanctions over its alleged non-compliance with the IAEA.