US sees allies pursuing Iran sanctions if talks fail

Washington, June 1: The Bush administration believes it has a consensus among key allies, including Russia and China, to pursue UN sanctions against Iran if an offer for talks with Tehran fails, a senior administration official said today.

The official referred to Washington's offer earlier in the day, saying that if Iran suspends its uranium enrichment program, the United States will join European talks with Tehran.

He said that ''if they (Iran) do not do so, there is also agreement that therefore we would have to proceed through the Security Council with a resolution and over time, depending on the Iranian response, move toward sanctions.'' The official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the consensus was among the United States, Britain, France, Germany and two nations that have been opposed to sanctions, Russia and China.

''What they've agreed is, if Iran does not accept this offer of negotiations, or accepts and then does not negotiate in good faith, we will return to the Security Council, we will get a resolution,'' he said.

He said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will complete agreement on Thursday, at talks with major powers in Vienna, on ''the list of sanctions that would be selected from'' as part of the Security Council process.

''That doesn't mean the first day all the sanctions come on the table. This is a process and one of the things you want to do is increase pressure on Iran over time based on its behavior,'' the official said.

Reuters

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