Major EU Countries Call for Tougher Sanctions on Iran

Britain, France and Germany have called for new European Union sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, according to diplomats.

International media report that the foreign ministers of the three countries wrote to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton last week calling for tougher measures.

Details of the new measures are still being worked on but EU foreign ministers will discuss the move at a meeting in Brussels on October 15.

Meanwhile, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad seeks to counter the pressure on his country at this week's UN General Assembly in New York.

Ahmadinejad met UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Sunday, while Catherine Ashton held talks on Iran and other topics with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in New York.

Ban urged Iran to take the necessary measures to build international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.

Iran's nuclear activities have been of international concern since the discovery, in 2003, that Iran had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years, in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran has repeatedly stated that its nuclear programme is for the peaceful purpose of providing energy, but many countries contend it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

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