European governments are deeply divided over how far and how fast to go in imposing new sanctions against Iran, in what could undermine a new US effort to mobilise allies to act outside of the United Nations, according to European officials. At a meeting in Brussels on Monday, European Union foreign ministers agreed to consider modest steps but not necessarily the kind of dramatic moves that Washington is now considering, the officials said. The session over what Europe should do to pressure Iran was described by officials as “fractious”, “intense” and with “a bit of blood left on the carpet” from the debate. Britain and France, which initiated the call for joint European action, back tough new multilateral sanctions outside the UN Security Council. But other countries, notably Italy and Austria, want significantly less serious steps. Germany fell somewhere in between, said European and US officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Squeezing Iran through diplomatic pressure and sanctions has become one of the Bush administration’s top priorities because of questions about Tehran’s nuclear objectives. “My intent is to continue to rally the world, to send a focused signal to the Iranian government that we will continue to work to isolate you in the hopes that at some point in time somebody else shows up and says it’s not worth the isolation,” President Bush said in a news conference Wednesday. But the Bush administration has been increasingly concerned about the international community losing momentum, since Russia and China— which both wield vetoes on the Security Counci—have delayed a third UN resolution, originally expected to happen this summer, until the end of the year or early next year.Moscow and Beijing also oppose US efforts to significantly increase pressure on Tehran after it failed to comply with two earlier resolutions demanding suspension of a uranium-enrichment programme that can be used both for nuclear energy and to develop the world’s deadliest bomb. In response, Washington and Europe last month signaled their intent to organise a parallel process for tougher steps against Tehran. The Bush administration also hopes to bring in other major powers that do business with Iran, such as Japan, Australia and Canada.
