The Foreign Office today urged Iran to start “restoring trust” in its nuclear intentions, following its “deeply worrying” announcement that it is to step up uranium enrichment.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad earlier ordered scientists to upgrade its enrichment of nuclear fuel to 20%.
It marked a hardening stance from Tehran, coinciding with calls from the US for greater pressure to be placed on Iran over the issue.
US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates said that if the international community stood together there was “still time for sanctions to work”. He did not go further on what sanctions he had in mind.
But his comments appeared to express scepticism over the potential of Iran signing up to a plan proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency in which it would export a bulk of its nuclear material for enrichment overseas.
