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Summary EU foreign ministers threatened to tighten sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear drive.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said after talks with European Union counterparts that the EU would reinforce sanctions against Tehran by asking the European Investment Bank (EIB) to freeze loans to the Islamic republic.But Juppe warned against military intervention, saying it would be the worst thing and it would drag us into an uncontrollable spiral.German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said too that military action would be counter-productive.Only British Foreign Secretary William Hague said all options should remain on the table.Asked to comment on talk of a strike against Iran, Hague said: We are not considering that at the moment. We are not calling for or advocating military action.At the same time we say all options should remain on the table.In a statement, the 27 EU ministers voiced increasing concerns over Tehrans programme and the lack of progress on the diplomatic front, a week after the International Atomic Energy Agency cited credible intelligence suggesting Iran carried out work towards building nuclear warheads.We urge Iran to address the international concerns over the nature of its nuclear programme through full cooperation with the IAEA and by demonstrating readiness to engage seriously in concrete discussions on confidence-building steps, the ministers said.Warning that Iran was in breach of international obligations, the ministers said that they would examine possible new and reinforced measures when they are next due to meet next month.
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