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US welcomes sanctions on Iran

Iran Materials 24 June 2008 04:05 (UTC +04:00)

The United States on Monday welcomed the EU decision to freeze the assets of an Iranian bank and expand a travel ban because of the Islamic state's refusal to stop enriching uranium, the dpa reported.

"Given an absence of a positive response from the Iranians, they're going to find themselves under increased pressure," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

"And the steps that will be taken include not only what we've done in the Security Council, but also measures taken by individual states or organizations like the EU," Casey said.

The United States has urged other countries and the European Union to strengthen measures against Iran because of its nuclear activities.

Bank Melli, the target of the sanctions, is suspected of aiding Iran's nuclear programme. The United States and its European partners are concerned that Iran is seeking a nuclear weapons capability.

Iranian says it is enriching uranium solely for producing energy in a nuclear reactor and denies having weapons ambitions.

Bank Melli has offices in London, Paris and Hamburg and is believed to be Iran's top institution of financial dealings in Europe.

The UN Security Council on three occasions has imposed limited sanctions on Iran, but has fallen short of taking strong measures backed by Washington and Brussels but resisted by Russia and China.

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