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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Brown evades question over Iran | Brown evades question over Iran |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Chancellor Gordon Brown has refused to give assurances that he will rule out military action against Iran over its nuclear enrichment programme. | Chancellor Gordon Brown has refused to give assurances that he will rule out military action against Iran over its nuclear enrichment programme. |
| Speaking at a trade union event in Bristol, he said he felt Iran's growing nuclear threat could be resolved by "multi-lateral action". | Speaking at a trade union event in Bristol, he said he felt Iran's growing nuclear threat could be resolved by "multi-lateral action". |
| But when pushed on whether he would rule out military action, he refused to give that assurance. | But when pushed on whether he would rule out military action, he refused to give that assurance. |
| Iran denies accusations from the West that it is seeking nuclear weapons. | Iran denies accusations from the West that it is seeking nuclear weapons. |
| The UN Security Council has passed a resolution demanding that Iran suspends all enrichment activities. | The UN Security Council has passed a resolution demanding that Iran suspends all enrichment activities. |
| And the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a report on Wednesday that Tehran was stepping up enrichment and obstructing inspections. | |
| Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of he IAEA, said it might be too late to stop Iran entirely and the focus should be on preventing large-scale enrichment - a policy rejected by US and UK diplomats. | |
| Political solution | |
| Mr Brown, who replaces Tony Blair as prime minister on 27 June has not previously elaborated on his view that sanctions against Iran were working. | |
| In February Mr Blair said that diplomacy, not military action, was the best way to resolve the stand-off over Iran's nuclear programme. He told the BBC he was not aware of any plans to attack Iran and said the only viable solution was a political one. | |
| But he said he could not "absolutely predict every set of circumstances". | |
| Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran will not be deterred from pursuing its nuclear goals and insists that it is co-operating with the IAEA. | |
| Relations between the UK and Iran hit a low point when 15 Royal Navy personnel based on HMS Cornwall were seized by Iranian Revolutionary Guards on 23 March in the northern Gulf. |