US Intensifies Calls For Iran Sanctions
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - An American envoy warned the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board of governors Wednesday that Iran is actively seeking to produce nuclear weapons and must be stopped before it is too late. NewsMax quoted envoy Gregory Schulte as telling the IAEA board during its session in Vienna that the US is "convinced that Iran is aggressively pursuing the technology, material and know-how to build nuclear weapons." He said that given "Iran's history of deception, lack of transparency, provocative behavior and disregard for its international obligations," the time has come "for the Security Council to back international diplomacy with international sanctions." "Iran's leaders must understand that their choices have consequences and that their best choice remains the course of cooperation," Schulte stated. Washington has been pressing for sanctions against the Islamic Republic since an August 31 UN-imposed deadline for Iran to halt its efforts to enrich uranium passed without Tehran's compliance. Speaking to reporters in Dakar, Senegal Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he is confident sanctions will not be imposed on his nation, and again expressed his desire for continued dialogue with the international community. "I don't believe there will be sanctions because there is no reason to have sanctions," |
