French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Tuesday the West must continue to work on sanctions if it is to be taken seriously by Iran, even as talks continue to resolve a stand-off over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Kouchner told Europe 1 radio that the situation in Iran was dangerous and that a nuclear-armed Iran would make the situation in the Middle East even more complicated. "While the European dialogue continues...we have to work on sanctions so as to be taken seriously," Kouchner said. "Is that the right solution? It's part of the solution. Should we go further one day? It's possible," he said. He did not elaborate.
France has been pushing for tougher sanctions and Kouchner said last Friday he would write to France's European Union partners calling for a discussion on European sanctions on Iran at the next foreign ministers meeting on October 15.