Britain and the U.S. have announced plans to intensify sanctions against Iran in the coming year.
At a joint press conference in Washington, British Foreign Minister William Hague said: “We will increase the peaceful, legitimate pressure on Iran. We see that not as confrontation, but as a necessary response to the — in particular, to the nuclear program.”
He added that the sanctions will target Iranian companies active in the country’s energy sector.
U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said Iran is on a "dangerous" track in its nuclear program.
The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency indicates the possibility that Iran’s nuclear program has a military dimension, prompting the U.S. and its allies to launch a new wave of sanctions.
Iran denies having any military component to its nuclear program, but the United States and the European Union have already ramped up their sanctions, putting more officials and companies on their blacklists.
Russia has criticized the recent sanctions, saying it will only support negotiations and the re-establishment of talks.
