VIENNA, Sept 9: The European Union is ready to call for Iran to be brought before the UN Security Council as a ‘clear signal of concern’ over Tehran’s nuclear activities, according to a confidential document. The document confirms the position of EU negotiators Britain, France and Germany, faced with Iran’s resumption of nuclear fuel work that the West suspects could be related to developing atomic weapons.

This work has scuttled EU talks on winning guarantees that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and has led to threats from US and EU leaders to ask the International Atomic Energy Agency at a meeting on Sept 19 to haul Iran before the Security Council.

The EU trio ‘believe that the issue should be resolved diplomatically, but are convinced this will only be possible by the broader international community sending Tehran a clear signal of concern and appealing to it to return to the negotiating table’, said the ‘speaking notes’ document given to IAEA diplomats this week, according to a diplomat who did not want to be named.

The notes said that ‘by resuming suspended fuel cyle activity, Iran is challenging the authority of the IAEA and raising further doubts about her programmes’.

The document said the ‘European side sees reporting Iran to the Security Council as a means of reinforcing (the) authority of IAEA resolutions and the diplomatic process’.

The IAEA had called on Iran on Aug 11 to return to a suspension of fuel cycle work that it had begun in November in order to start the talks with the EU.

Iran broke the suspension last month.—AFP