PARIS, 13 July 2006 — World powers meeting in Paris upped the stakes over Iran’s nuclear program yesterday, agreeing to send Tehran back to the UN Security Council and raising the threat of sanctions over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

“The Iranians have given no indication at all that they are ready to engage seriously on the substance of our proposals,” French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in a statement agreed with his colleagues from the United States, Britain, Germany, Russia and China.

“Iran has failed to take the steps needed to allow negotiations to begin.... We express profound disappointment over this situation,” he said, according to an official English translation of his remarks.

“We have no choice but to return to the United Nations Security Council and take forward the process that was suspended two months ago,” he said. “We have agreed to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution, which would make the IAEA-required suspension mandatory. Should Iran refuse to comply then we will work for the adoption of measures under Article 41 of Chapter Seven of the United Nations charter,” the statement said. The article in question opens the way for economic and diplomatic sanctions, but not for the use of military force.

The agreement appeared to mark an important escalation of the pressure on Iran, because until now Russia and China have refused to countenance sanctions on the grounds that they are counterproductive. The ministers from the Security Council permanent members plus Germany had met to hear a progress report from the EU’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who the day before held talks in Brussels with Tehran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.

The six are pushing for a positive Iranian response to a package of economic and political incentives offered on June 6, but EU officials described Tuesday’s meeting as “disappointing.”

Iran insists on the right to continue uranium enrichment, arguing that it is needed for a civilian nuclear energy program, but the outside powers suspect Tehran is trying to make nuclear weapons and the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency has ordered a suspension.

In their statement the ministers said that, “Should Iran implement the decisions of the IAEA and the United Nations Security Council, and enter into negotiations, we would be ready to hold back from further action in the UN Security Council. We urge Iran once again to respond positively to the substantive proposals we made last month.”

The Paris talks brought together Douste-Blazy, his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice, Britain’s Margaret Beckett, Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Chinese deputy foreign minister Zhang Yesui. “We are banking on Iran giving a bit of slack, given the obligatory nature of the suspension of enrichment activities. We hope that some in the Iranian leadership will understand the signal,” said Steinmeier after the meeting.

“If we do go to the Security Council, we will take our time to work out the best responses ... in order to get the Iranians to reconsider their position,” he said.

Iran’s Larijani warned Tuesday of a “long road” ahead, saying the offer of incentives — which reportedly include aid for a civilian energy program and an end to some US sanctions — was “broadly suitable” but that suspending enrichment remained a central problem.

In Tehran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeated yesterday that Iran would not negotiate on its “undeniable right” to have a nuclear program. “We are for negotiations, we are for dialogue. But of course we will not negotiate our undeniable rights with anyone,” he told a public rally.