Official: World power meeting on Iran canceled on Chinese request

Officials: World power meeting on Iran canceled

VIENNA — Senior officials say that a meeting by five world powers on Iran’s nuclear program has been canceled on China’s request.

The U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany had planned to meet Friday. Officials from three of the five powers demanded anonymity Monday because their information was confidential.

One of the officials said China cited scheduling problems in asking for the cancelations. He and another official said the five now planned to talk via conference call.

The meeting was to be in Brussels or on the sidelines of the Copenhagen summit.

Iran has shrugged off three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed to curb its uranium enrichment program. Tehran says it needs to enrich to make fuel for a future reactor network. But the program can also be used to make fissile warhead material.

Israel’s defense minister urged the world Monday to agree to tough new sanctions on Iran, suggesting that military strikes remained a final option should Tehran refuse to heed Security Council demands.