Schroeder: Iran Rejection Of EU Nuke Plan 'Confrontational'

Dow Jones Newswires:

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Saturday said Iran was taking a " confrontational course" by rejecting European Union proposals for its nuclear program and forecast the matter will go to the U.N. Security Council unless Tehran backs down, according to excerpts from a television interview. READ MORE

In remarks released by broadcaster ARD, Schroeder said it was up to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, to decide the next step.

"I'm very worried about the confrontational course which Iran appears to be taking," Schroeder was quoted as saying in the interview, which was recorded on Saturday for broadcast Sunday. "One has to expect that it (the IAEA) will put it before the Security Council, if Iran doesn't come round."

While economic sanctions couldn't be excluded, Schroeder reportedly said: "I believe nobody is currently thinking about a military conflict."