The international community has no other choice than to impose new sanctions on Iran for Tehran's refusal to cooperate on its nuclear program, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday.
Kouchner said Russia was already "on board" with the need for sanctions, and that he believed "the Chinese will follow."
"I think there is no other solution," Kouchner told journalists. The exact nature of the sanctions was still under discussion, he said, but added that they would be specific.
"The wealthy will be hit," Kouchner said, implying that measures to restrict access to funds outside Iran were under consideration. He also said that sanctions would be difficult to put in place.
The United States has given Iran an informal deadline of the end of the year to demonstrate that it is seriously willing to discuss its nuclear program. The UN Security Council is not expected to discuss the issue of possible sanctions until January.
Kouchner also expressed his continued support for the Iranian opposition movement.
"I believe deeply in the importance of this movement," he said, adding that the opposition had been urging the international community to do more to support its efforts.
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