bert Einhorn, U.S. special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, gestures during a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Monday, during which he asked Korea to increase pressure on Iran for its alleged nuclear weapons program. / Yonhap
The United States wants Korea to heap pressure on Iran over its suspected nuclear weapons program, a visiting U.S. official said Monday, adding to speculation that Seoul could soon join in on stepped-up sanctions over the alleged activities.
The remarks from Robert Einhorn, the U.S. State Department's special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, came after Washington and other Western countries bolstered punitive measures after an International Atomic Energy Agency report accused Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons.
"We're asking our partners around the world to take additional steps and naturally we are coming to Korea to see what the Republic of Korea can do to sharpen the choice for the leaders of Iran," Einhorn said during a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
"The goal of this pressure is to encourage the leaders of Iran to stop defying the international community and start cooperating to enter into serious and concrete negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.”
But he stopped short of urging the Lee government to suspend oil imports despite speculation he would.
In late November, the Barack Obama administration expanded bilateral sanctions on Iran in reaction to the report, targeting companies that aid Iran's oil and petrochemical industries. Tehran insists its program is entirely peaceful.
Last year, Seoul listed 126 Iranian companies and individuals for economic sanctions, including a major banking operation, in response to U.S. and international pressure. Seoul is reportedly considering imposing sanctions targeting the petrochemical industry following the latest round of sanctions by Washington and other Western powers.
Meanwhile, Einhorn will participate in the fourth round of talks on revising a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement through Thursday.
The current agreement prohibits Seoul from reprocessing spent fuel to prevent it from developing plutonium, which can be used to build atomic weapons.
The South wants its key ally to allow it to employ a reprocessing technology known as pyroprocessing, which experts here say is less conducive to nuclear proliferation because the separated plutonium left is mixed with other elements.
The nation gets nearly 40 percent of its electricity from nuclear plants. But concern is increasing as storage facilities for spent fuel are expected to be completely filled by 2016.
The country produces nearly 40 percent of its electricity from 20 atomic power plants across the country, and its storage facilities for spent fuel are expected to reach capacity in 2016.
Einhorn is one of three high ranking U.S. officials to visit this week. On Wednesday, Glyn Davies, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, will hold talks with officials and is expected to discuss how to resume six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program.
On Thursday, Derek Mitchell, special envoy to Myanmar, will brief officials here on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s historic visit there last week.
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