BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said
a UN report that Iran had worked on an atomic weapon design was "alarming" but sanctions had not been fully exhausted as a means of pressuring Tehran, and Germany would consider a tougher round of measures.
In an interview with the
Leipziger Volkszeitung published on Saturday, Merkel said opposition to fresh sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program by some countries was "regrettable".
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"I think the methods we can use to force Iran to be more transparent
have not been fully exhausted. Sanctions are first in line here. These
sanctions should be as broad as possible," Merkel said.
Iran had clearly "not put all its cards on the table", and she urged the country to act with transparency.
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
said on Friday
Washington was consulting allies on further steps to pressure Iran, but
she stopped short of specifying actions under consideration.
Earlier this week the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded that
Iran had worked on developing an atomic bomb design and may still be
conducting such research.
