US will still press for new sanctions against Iran, official says

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Washington will continue to press China, Russia and its European allies for a new UN Security Council resolution threatening sanctions against Iran, despite new conclusions that the country ended its nuclear weapons programs years ago, a senior US official said Wednesday. "There is still an enrichment and reprocessing program which is overt," US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns told reporters during a visit to Australia. "They still have a ballistic missile development program which the Iranians talk about and boast about." Burns, who on Wednesday became the first senior US official to meet with Australia's newly elected government, said Washington hoped to make progress on a new Security Council resolution soon. "Our view is that there's every reason for all of us to continue with the efforts in the UN Security Council to continue to offer on the one hand negotiations ... and if Iran cannot support that ... then we believe they should be subjected to a continued sanctions regime," he told a group of reporters.