Newport, 02/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - Tension mounted again in the international negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme the day before the deadline set by EU3 (Germany, France and the UK) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for Teheran to stop its uranium conversion activities (resumed on 8 August this year despite the Paris Agreement signed in November 2004 with the E3). IAEA Director General, Mohammed El-Baradei, will present a decisive report on Saturday on Iran's respect of its commitments. At a press conference after the first day of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Newport, South Wales, British foreign secretary Jack Straw (acting President of the Council of the EU) said that the refusal of the Iranian authorities to accept the EU's proposals of 5 August 2005 had created an unacceptable situation that had seriously undermined the confidence that had been forming between the two sides. EU foreign ministers in Newport agreed to await the conclusions of El-Baradei's report before deciding on the next steps to take, including whether the EU should support the idea of sending Iran to the UN Security Council. Straw said they had agreed to await El-Baradei's report and would be consulting with other members of the IAEA governing council. Jack Straw repeated the Iranian suggestion of extending the current negotiations (where the EU is represented by the EU3) to other countries (see EUROPE 9015). The general view today is that this structure of negotiations between E3/EU has worked well for Iran, for the European Union and, above all, for the international community, said Straw. Ministers also expressed concern at the human rights situation in Iran, with Straw adding that they were monitoring the situation very closely.