EU agrees Iran sanctions despite limited value

The EU is set to step up sanctions against Iran despite the findings of a leaked internal EU memo suggesting that diplomatic and economic pressure has had little effect on Tehran.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday agreed to enforce the tough new sanctions backing a December 2006 UN security council resolution.

The sanctions include visa restrictions and asset freezes covering people and institutions involved in Tehran’s nuclear project.

EU member states are also banned from trading on enrichment-related technology and from providing training.

German foreign minister Franck-Walter Steinmeier, who chaired Monday’s meeting, said the sanctions were designed to break the political deadlock.

“We are not seeking escalation, we want a solution”, said Steinmeier.  

Speaking alongside Steinmeier, the EU’s Foreign policy chief Javier Solana said “the EU’s position is unchanged…the Iranians know exactly what to do”.

“We both have the impression that in Iran there is a new ambition to come back to the negotiating table”, added Steinmeier.

However according to an internal EU document circulated to ministers on Monday sanctions will do little to derail Tehran’s alleged bid to build a nuclear bomb.

The document, leaked to FT Europe on Tuesday concludes that Iran will be able to develop enough weapons-grade material for a nuclear bomb and there is little that can be done to prevent it.

The February 7 document – put together by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana’s staff, – says Tehran’s nuclear programme has been delayed only by technical limitations rather than diplomatic pressure.

“Attempts to engage the Iranian administration in a negotiating process have not so far succeeded,” it states, and says “The problems with Iran will not be resolved through sanctions alone”.

"At some stage we must expect that Iran will acquire the capacity to enrich uranium on the scale required for a weapons programme,"

The limitations of imposing sanctions comes shortly after strong US pressure on Europe to widen bans on financial transactions and the export of technology to Iran.

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