UK, EU-3 seek new strategy as their draft resolution against Iran fail support

The British government confirmed Thursday that the EU had backed down from seeking to immediately refer Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program, saying it was prepared to allow more time for diplomacy to work, IRNA reported today.

The dispute can "only be resolved by diplomacy. This means moving in step not against the views of other IAEA board members and maintaining as far as possible an international consensus," a Foreign Office spokesman told IRNA.

The change in tact reportedly came amid opposition from many board members of the International Atomic Energy Agency to EU and US demands to refer Iran's case to the Security Council during their meeting in Vienna this week.

Welcoming the new EU move, the Iranian diplomat said, "Intensification of the crisis will neither benefit Iran nor the EU states." Both Iran and the EU should refrain from a win-lose game and follow the win-win one, he said stressing, "Settlement of the crisis would benefit both sides.

"We believe that not only there is no need for reporting Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council, but also the verbal threat by the Security Council will follow the same consequences. We should not let the crisis be further complicated by making such claims."

Meantime, the US stated yesterday that "one way or another, Iran will be made to comply with US objectives, and that Iran will not be allowed to challenge the US and its supporters."