Anger at Iran

last updated 8 January 2015

Brussels

Three E.U. foreign ministers fired off an angry missive at Iran this week, after Iranian officials said Tehran is restarting its nuclear enrichment program. Iran froze its enrichment program last year at the request of Germany, France, and Britain, to give those countries a chance to offer a deal on inspections and technical aid. This week, though, Iran said it would wait no longer. The three foreign ministers responded that if Iran does restart enrichment, they will be forced to appeal to the U.N. Security Council for sanctions, a step the U.S. has long sought. “The Iran matter seems very serious to me,” said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. “It may trigger a major international crisis.” The U.S. has long maintained that Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at producing weapons, not just energy.