“If Iran is not ready for cooperation, then the process will have to continue at the U.N. Security Council,” Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja of Finland, which holds the rotating EU presidency, told the European Parliament, a day after EU talks with Iran failed to make progress.
The talks on Tuesday between chief Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana ended with Tehran insisting it needed more time to consider an international offer of incentives for it to halt uranium enrichment.
Tuomioja said the EU was committed to pursuing negotiations with Tehran on the package of technology, trade and political sweeteners, and still wanted an early response, but added: “The outlook is very uncertain at this moment”.
Washington said major powers, whose foreign ministers meet in Paris on Wednesday, had previously agreed to deal with Tehran at the United Nations if it failed to reply. Britain expected ministers would take a decision in Paris on the next steps.
U.N. Security Council work on a resolution against Iran was delayed to allow Tehran to respond to the June 6 offer. Russia and China had been reluctant to back any resolution they feared could lead to sanctions or even military action.
Iran, the world’s fourth largest oil exporter, rejects charges it seeks a nuclear weapon and argues it is solely interested in electricity generation.
