EU agrees Iran sanctions as Russia signs Bushehr protocol

Tuesday, 24 April 2007 The European Union (EU) has agreed to implement sanctions against Iran, ahead of a meeting between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.

In calling for a total, rather than partial, arms embargo, the EU sanctions go further than those already agreed by the United Nations after Iran refused to halt its uranium enrichment activities. The EU has also added further people to the 'travel ban' list - they are banned from the EU and their assets are frozen.

The two negotiators are due to meet in Turkey on 25 April, in their first meeting since February. Iran remains adamant that it has no intention of halting its uranium enrichment programme, which it insists is solely for the production of nuclear fuel. However, the country is still "several years" away from producing fuel for its nuclear power station, according to Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation (IAEO). According to Aghazadeh, a plant to produce zirconium tubes to hold nuclear fuel rods has already been completed and a facility for making fuel pellets should be ready next year.

On 21 April, the Iranian cabinet approved the establishment of three companies, specialising in enrichment, fuel production and waste. The companies - Uranium Processing and Nuclear Fuel Production Company, Nuclear Enrichment Company, and Nuclear Energy Waste Company of Iran - are all affiliated to the IAEO.

Meanwhile, Russia and Iran have signed a new protocol on 'stable financing' of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. Irina Yesipova of AtomStroyExport suggested that the protocol would go some way towards solving the funding issues that have beset the project, but that some issues remained. Further talks are due in May. Disagreements over Iran's payments to Russia have contributed to delays to the startup of Iran's first nuclear plant, for which Russia is to provide the fuel.

Further information

Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom)

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