The consensus among EU countries that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons is "enormous", says Malmer Stenergard on her way to Monday's EU meeting in Brussels.
–We share the concern that the US and many others have that Iran has not cooperated sufficiently with the UN's atomic energy agency IAEA and that they have enriched to 60 percent, which there is no civilian reason to do, says the Foreign Minister.
However, she does not want to call it outright support for the US.
–It is an incredibly serious situation. The escalation of violence that we have seen now must be stopped and we need to get back to the negotiating table, says Malmer Stenergard, who believes that Europe has a strong voice in this context.
–As recently as Friday, representatives of the EU sat together with the E3 (Germany, France, and the UK) in negotiations for a long time with Iran's Foreign Minister. Now we urge the parties to de-escalate so that they can return to the negotiating table and there I am convinced that Europe can play a very important role, says Malmer Stenergard.
