UK says in talks on stepping up pressure on Iran

Reuters: Britain is talking to other countries about stepping up pressure on Iran to freeze uranium enrichment, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday.

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is talking to other countries about stepping up pressure on Iran to freeze uranium enrichment, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday.

Talks on Iran’s nuclear programme between Iran and the United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and Britain ended without progress last month.

“Given Iran’s refusal to engage in genuine negotiations over its nuclear programme at the recent talks in Istanbul, we are now in talks with international partners about steps to increase the legitimate peaceful pressure on Iran to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions and the requirements of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),” Hague told parliament.

Increased pressure could mean tightening existing sanctions or imposing additional ones, a government source said.

The U.N. Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Tehran for refusing to freeze its uranium enrichment programme, which Western powers suspect is aimed at producing a nuclear weapon.

Iran says its programme is for peaceful energy needs.

(Reporting by Adrian Croft; editing by Stefano Ambrogi and Tim Pearce)