US: The United States needs to give Iran some kind of security assurance as Washington joins the EU to try to persuade Tehran to give up sensitive atomic activities, the UN's nuclear watchdog chief said yesterday.
"I think when the issue of security comes up [in the EU-Iran talks], obviously the US will have to step in, because . . .the Iranians will very much need American and not just European [security] assurance," Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Paris on the future of nuclear energy.
"A discussion of regional security is very much not only a European affair."
France, Britain and Germany have offered Iran political and economic incentives if it permanently abandons all work on the nuclear fuel cycle, activities that could give Iran the ability to produce highly-enriched uranium fuel or plutonium for bombs.
Washington, which accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons under cover of an atomic energy programme, recently agreed to back the European Union efforts and offered to stop blocking Iran's entrance into the World Trade Organisation and to sell Iran spare parts for its ageing fleet of aircraft.
Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are limited to peaceful electricity generation, although it has acknowledged hiding much of its programme from the International Atomic Energy Agency for nearly two decades.
Mr ElBaradei said the Americans and Iranians would need time for any thaw in relations. He said it was more than 20 years since Washington severed diplomatic contacts with Tehran after the 1979 hostage crisis.
"You're trying to restore relations that have not been there for 20 years, you do not expect things that have gone sour for 20 years to be restored in two months. Everybody should be patient," said Mr ElBaradei.
The US would eventually have to actively join forces with the Europeans and not merely support them if the initiative was to work he added.