By DPA
Sydney : Australia, Japan and the European Union could follow the US in applying new sanctions on Iran if it continues with its nuclear enrichment programme, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Saturday.
Downer was commenting on the announcement this week by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of more sanctions on Tehran, as well as on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which the US accuses of supporting terrorism.
“What they’re doing is applying much tougher sanctions against Iran,” Downer told national broadcaster ABC. “I think the EU, Japan and us as well, Australia, will wait for a little while and see whether there’s going to be any further progress in negotiations with the Iranians, particularly involving the International Atomic Energy Agency.”
He said “if their enrichment programme isn’t suspended some time fairly soon, as it’s meant to be, then you will see lots of countries introducing different types of measures and sanctions against Iran.”