Iran says it will not stop enriching uranium

bbc.co.uk

Key powers to seek Iran sanctions

The US and key EU powers will seek a fresh UN resolution imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear policy.

The move comes after EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana concluded that Iran was not going to suspend uranium enrichment, said a senior UK official.

"If Iranians don't suspend, then we go to the Security Council for sanctions," the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said.

Iran's president has ruled out the suspension of the nuclear programme.

A top Iranian official has suggested that France monitor its nuclear programme by setting up a nuclear fuel consortium inside Iran.

France said any proposals would have to be fed through Mr Solana. The US and the UK rejected the Iranian offer.

LONDON (Reuters) - Six world powers are preparing to draft U.N. sanctions against Iran given the failure of high level talks so far to yield an Iranian promise to halt sensitive atomic work, a senior British official said on Tuesday.

He said European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, trying to coax Iran into halting enrichment, reported back to EU countries and the United States at the weekend that top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani had given a clear "no".

"We are intensifying preparatory efforts for what should be in a resolution," the British official said.

"(British Foreign Secretary) Margaret Beckett was talking to her counterparts over the weekend ... Unless there is a sudden and unexpected change of heart by the Iranians, we can expect this to move to New York in the coming week or so."

"Solana reported that Larijani had made clear to him last week that Iran was not prepared to resume suspension. That's the position that President Ahmadinejad and others had been stating in public. It came through clearly from Larijani to Solana and Solana has accordingly reported back," the official said.