The European Union set out a new set of sanctions on Iran on Tuesday, focusing on individuals and companies that could also be subjected to United Nations measures in coming weeks. The move, which immediately freezes the assets in Europe of eight companies and 15 individuals, comes as the EU seeks to increase the pressure on Tehran in the dispute over its nuclear programme.
Britain is to protest formally to Iran as part of a “recalibration” of relations with the Islamic Republic since the seizure of 15 sailors and marines in the Shatt al-Arab waterway this month. A British diplomat here said yesterday: “We are preparing a considered response as part of a ‘lessons learned’ exercise. We are not going to take hasty measures. But we’re not going to let them shrug the whole thing off either. We are not talking about reprisals … but we are going to draw the right conclusions. There will be repercussions in terms of policy options.”
Iran’s “starred” students - politically active university students barred from continuing with their studies - are desperately trying to obtain the right to go on with their education. Undergraduates who have criticised the government are given one to three penalty points, according to the possible threat they are said to pose. About 150 students are currently starred. Those who have been registered for masters courses have been forced to do so under preset conditions. The conditions allow university officials to expel the students at any time. “Three-starred” students are not allowed to register.
The United States and other world powers may be ready to allow Iran to keep some of its uranium enrichment program intact instead of demanding its complete dismantling, foreign government officials said Tuesday.Officials said some willingness to compromise might advance talks Wednesday in the Turkish capital between top Iranian envoy Ali Larijani and Javier Solana, the European Union’s foreign policy chief.
Iran hard-line president proposed Monday to hold public talks with President Bush on a wide range of issues, without saying whether that included international suspicions of the Iranian nuclear program or allegations of Iranian meddling in “Last year, I announced readiness for a televised debate over global issues with his excellency Mr. Bush. And now we announce that I am ready to negotiate with him about bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues,” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying on the Web site of Al-Alam, Iran’s state-run Arabic satellite television channel.
