A draft of a European Union resolution said the EU was “deeply dismayed” by Israeli plans for new construction in settlements but did not mention sanctions. The draft resolution, which was obtained by the French news agency AFP, said Israeli settlement construction “threaten peace efforts.” It had been prepared for EU foreign ministers ahead of…
Israel’s vice prime minister said on Sunday he would welcome direct talks between the United States and Iran if they were aimed at halting what Israel sees as plans by the Islamic Republic to build a nuclear weapon. But Moshe Yaalon also said that he believed a denial by the White House of a New…
The European Union will further tighten economic sanctions if Iran does not curb its nuclear activities, EU leaders said on Friday, urging Tehran to engage in “meaningful” negotiations. Europe imposed new sanctions on the Islamic Republic this week, targeting trade, energy and shipping, as part of a Western push to force Iran to make concessions…
Sweden has complained to Israel over a newspaper report which said the Nordic state had tried to block EU sanctions against Iran to protect powerhouse telecoms equipment maker Ericsson, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The report on Sunday, in daily Haaretz, quoted an Israeli Foreign Ministry official as saying Sweden wanted to prevent a…
European Union governments plan to ratchet up sanctions pressure against Iran over its nuclear programme on Monday, approving new measures against Tehran’s banking sector, industry and shipping. The new sanctions mark one of the toughest pushes against Iran by Europe to date, and come amid mounting concerns over the Islamic Republic’s military intentions and the…
Iran would negotiate on halting higher-grade uranium enrichment if given fuel for a research reactor, senior officials said, reviving a previous offer in a possible attempt to show flexibility in stalled nuclear talks with world powers. The talks have made scant progress since resuming in April, leading to harsher Western sanctions against Iran and increasing…
President Barack Obama announced new U.S. sanctions against Iran’s energy, petrochemical and financial sectors on Tuesday that he said would further pressure the country for failing to meet international nuclear obligations. In a statement, Obama said the United States remained committed to finding a diplomatic resolution to the standoff with Tehran but was committed “to…
On the eve of his visit to Israel, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that though tough international sanctions have not yet caused Iran to drop its nuclear ambitions, they would eventually persuade the regime to “do what’s right.” Speaking in Tunisia on Monday, Panetta said that the sanctions have caused significant damage to Iran’s economy,…
