EU sanctions cannot stop Iran bomb, memo says

EU foreign ministers have clinched a deal on sanctions against Iran over the country's refusal to halt uranium enrichment. But an internal EU memo suggests sanctions can do little to stop Tehran from getting the bomb.

Ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday (12 February) agreed on "restrictive measures against Iran" in line with a UN security council resolution adopted last December.

The EU sanctions will: ban the supply of enrichment-related goods, technology or assistance; block Iranian officials linked to the nuclear scheme from traveling to the EU; freeze the assets of bomb-related institutions and stop Iranian students abroad from studying enrichment-related subjects.

But before the EU gave the green light to the measures, the ministers received an internal memo from EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana which argued that international diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions have proved ineffective in changing Iran policy.

Technical limitations rather than diplomatic pressure have so far delayed the completion of the country's nuclear programme, the paper said according to the Financial Times.

"At some stage we must expect that Iran will acquire the capacity to enrich uranium on the scale required for a weapons programme," the UK daily quotes the so-called "reflection paper" as saying.

"The problems with Iran will not be resolved through economic sanctions alone," the document added.

The news comes just days after US diplomats urged Europe to take tougher measures against Tehran, suggesting that financial sanctions are especially effective.

The Solana paper could also be used by advocates of military action who argue that if nothing concrete is done Iran will obtain nuclear capacity in 2010.

The US this week presented findings that Iran is supplying arms to Iraqi "insurgents" in a report seen by some analysts as a prelude to war.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later said in a rare interview on US TV "We think there are wise people in the US who would stop such illegal actions."

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed El Baradei will on 21 February deliver a report to the UN Security Council on Iran's compliance with demands put forth in the December resolution.

He is expected to again call for Iran to suspend its nuclear development program and for the UN to lift the sanctions so that dialogue can restart, AP reports.

"The two parties need to take a timeout," Mr El Baradei said on Monday after meeting Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt. "Sanctions are an important tool, but sanctions alone will not solve the issue."