BRUSSELS, Sept 13 (AFP) - European Union (EU) foreign ministers warned Monday that Iran faces "serious" consequences unless it fulfils a pledge to stop uranium enrichment for alleged military purposes.
The ministers of Britain and Germany, who along with France have spearheaded an EU diplomatic offensive on Iran, made the comments as the UN's atomic watchdog met in Vienna to decide the next steps in the nuclear standoff.
"We think Iran should do everything to meet its commitments," said Germany's Joschka Fischer. "It is in their interests," he said, warning of "the risk of a miscalculation" by Tehran.
"I hope they realize that ... otherwise we will find ourselves in a serious situation," he said. "It would be a miscalculation to think one could get out of an agreement we made," he added.
The United States and Europe appear close to agreement over setting a deadline for Iran to allay suspicions it is secretly making atomic weapons, but Tehran insisted on its right to develop peaceful nuclear technology.
Britain, France and Germany are ready to set a November deadline for Iran to respond to concern about its nuclear program, in a draft resolution that brings the so-called Euro 3 closer to the US hard line.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw meanwhile vowed to maintain pressure on Iran over its nuclear plans, warning that Tehran had made commitments and now must fulfil them.
Speaking at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, he said Iran has the right to develop nuclear technology for civilian purposes, but raised questions over Tehran's assurances about military nuclear plans.
"We've taken a consistent line, a firm line in respect to Iran with our partners in France and in Germany," he said, referring to the trio of EU heavyweights who have led Europe's diplomatic offensive with Tehran.
He said that Iran had promised the EU trio last October that they would suspend all uranium enrichmement and related activities. "Since then they have said that they are going to restart part of that process.
"That has undermined confidence in the international community in Iran's intentions; they cannot turn the issue of confidence on and off like a tap," he said.
He was speaking as the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was meeting in Vienna to discuss Iran's alleged atomic weapons program.
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier made no immediate comment on the nuclear issue, as he arrived for the two-day EU talks in Brussels.
But Straw confirmed that a deadline was being discussed. "That's part part of the discusions on the draft resolution in Vienna.
"Since we got together 15 months ago with Iran we've worked extremely hard to resolve this issue in straightforward way. It does however require the Iranians to met their comitments for a full suspension of their uranium enrichment activites," he said.