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U.S. official to visit Switzerland, Turkey over Iran, Syria

31 August 2012 20:39 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Treasury Department said Friday it would send its pointman on international sanctions to Switzerland and Turkey in an ongoing effort to pressure Iran and Syria, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

David Cohen, under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will discuss newly expanded U.S. sanctions against the Iranian Central Bank and the country’s petrochemical and petroleum sector.

Washington and its allies are pressing Iran to drop its nuclear program, suspecting the Islamic republic is seeking to use it to develop nuclear weapons.

A new report unveiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday said Iran had, since May, doubled the number of centrifuges to enrich uranium at its Fordo underground nuclear facility.

In his five-day trip, starting Saturday, Cohen would also discuss efforts, including expanded sanctions, to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power and end the 18-month conflict in the country, the Treasury said in a statement.

Continuing efforts to disrupt the financing of terrorist groups throughout the Middle East would also be on his top agenda, it said.