Vienna - The European Union and the United States said Wednesday they were ready to start comprehensive talks with Iran on its nuclear programme, but also indicated their support for new measures should Tehran continue to defy the UN Security Council. Many IAEA members are concerned about Iran's refusal to answer lingering questions over past research that could have been related to the development of nuclear weapons.
"We have to react," French Ambassador Francois-Xavier Deniau told the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. France holds the rotating EU presidency.
So far, Tehran has not heeded the Security Council's demands to cooperate further with the UN nuclear agency and to stop its uranium enrichment.
"It is not up to Iran to contest the authority of the Security Council or of the Agency," Deniau said.
The ambassador not only said the EU supported the Security Council's work in adopting additional measures, but also reiterated that the offer for comprehensive talks to solve the nuclear issue was still on the table.
Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and China have proposed a package that spells out economic benefits for Iran if the country halts its nuclear activities.
"Instead of facing increased sanctions and international isolation, Iran's leaders have the chance to pursue civilian energy cooperation, economic development, and educational and agricultural advances," US Ambassador Gregory Schulte said.
So far, Tehran has not agreed to stop expanding its nuclear facility in Natanz - the six countries' precondition for talks.
The process to come up with a new resolution in the Security Council hit an obstacle Wednesday, as Russia announced there was no need for an emergency session on Iran.
According to analysts, Moscow's pullout from the Iran talks appeared partly in anger over Western condemnation of its war with Georgia last month.
Iran denies the authenticity of information obtained by the IAEA from various governments, which indicates work on high explosives and missiles could have been related to nuclear weapons development.
Meanwhile, the US and Britain were trying in Vienna to introduce a board resolution praising Libya for having cooperated with the IAEA after the North African state gave up its nuclear weapons programme in 2003.
The resolution was partly intended to show Iran that "it could follow a different path," a diplomat said.
