France threatens Iran with new sanctions over nuclear "drift"

France would support stronger sanctions against Iran if a United Nations report to be published Wednesday fuels suspicion that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said, dpa reported.

Diplomats in Vienna say the eagerly-awaited report by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, will point to efforts by Tehran to build a computer model of a nuclear warhead.

"We are very worried about the Iranian drift," Juppe told France's RTL radio.

If the report showed that Iran's nuclear programme had military ambitions, it would be an "extremely serious destabilization of the region," he said, warning France would take a "very firm position."

"If we have to reinforce sanctions, we're ready," he said.


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