Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 51: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he has held with his EU counterparts in relation to a new round of sanctions on Iran as it continues to pursue an uranium enrichment programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2379/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Government is extremely concerned about the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran issued on 8 November which concluded that there are strong grounds for serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear programme. The further confirmation from the IAEA in the past week that Iran has begun uranium enrichment to the 20% level at the Fordow underground nuclear plant is highly disappointing in this context and compounds the international community's serious concerns. Given the complete absence of any signal from Iran that it would be willing to comprehensively address the serious issues raised in the report, the 1 December Foreign Affairs Council approved the extension of EU restrictive measures to a further 180 entities and individuals linked with the nuclear programme or associated organisations. The Council also agreed to examine additional measures "including measures aimed at severely affecting the Iranian financial system, in the transport sector, in the energy sector, measures against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as in other areas."

The European Council on 9 December endorsed these decisions and asked the Foreign Affairs Council to adopt these measures at its next session on 23 January, which I shall attend. Work is continuing at official level in Brussels on a set of new measures as instructed by the Council and I expect these will be formally agreed by Ministers on 23 January. Any new restrictive measures agreed by the EU will be in addition to further bilateral measures announced by the US, UK and Canada since the IAEA report, including important US legislation targeting the Iranian financial system signed into law by President Obama on 31 December. Furthermore, on 12 January, Japan announced that it will take concrete steps to reduce its dependency on Iranian oil.

These further restrictive measures are intended to make it clear to the Iranian authorities that the international community is united and committed to increasing political and economic pressure until the valid concerns about possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear programme are addressed. I urge Iran's leadership to act in the best interests of the Iranian people and return to the negotiating table prepared to make a sincere effort to resolve this issue and end Iran's growing international isolation.