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Britain 'seriously concerned' by Iran's declared nuclear status+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)LONDON, April 12_(Kyodo) _ British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Wednesday that he was "seriously concerned" about the statement made Tuesday by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declaring his country to be a nuclear state. "The latest Iranian statement further undermines international confidence in the Iranian regime and is deeply unhelpful," Straw said in a statement, noting that the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, was on his way to Tehran to assess the situation. Ahmadinejad's defiant claim, which signified that Iran has "joined the club of nuclear countries," has intensified concerns among Western governments that have long been concerned that Tehran's nuclear enrichment program is for atomic weapons rather than power stations. "It is contrary to repeated requests by the IAEA Board and now by the Security Council that Iran resume full and sustained suspension of all enrichment and reprocessing activities, including research and development," Straw stated. "The Iranian regime must demonstrate by its words and actions that it is not seeking nuclear weapons," the foreign secretary continued. Straw pointed out that further "diplomatic measures" would be considered by the United Nations Security Council if Iran did not comply with the IAEA's requests. He was keen to make clear that military action was not an option, following a report in The New Yorker magazine which suggested that U.S. President George W. Bush's administration had gone "beyond contingency planning" for a military strike on Iran. "I call upon Iran to suspend its activities, begin the process of building confidence, and get back into negotiations," Straw said, adding that close contact would be maintained with Britain's international partners who are equally concerned over Iran's nuclear activities. |