German Vows Tough Line on Iran

Germany remains in sync with the Bush administration, as well as Britain and France, on seeking a rapid consensus on the next United Nations sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment and related nuclear activities, a German official tells U.S. News.

German diplomats are expected to deliver that message tomorrow at a key meeting in Washington of political directors from the foreign ministries of the six countries coordinating sanctions and diplomacy on Iran. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns will represent the United States. Tomorrow's session is meant to set the stage for higher-level meetings next week in New York during the opening session of this year's U.N. General Assembly.

The group meeting includes the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany. However, media reports in such outlets as Fox News and Reuters have suggested that German support for tough, new sanctions has been flagging, annoying some U.S. officials. China and Russia are already known to oppose immediate, additional sanctions on Iran. But the German official disputed the characterization of Germany's support as diminishing.

"We are onboard. We are interested in pushing the question of sanctions forward quickly," the official said. The official went on to describe Germany as "part of the driving force for a new resolution." During the first half of the year, when Germany held the European Union presidency, its diplomats played a key role in developing EU sanctions on Iran that go beyond what the U.N. Security Council required.

—Thomas Omestad