U.N. unanimously approves Iran sanctions
UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to impose economic sanctions on Iran for refusing to end a uranium enrichment program that the United States says is aimed at building nuclear weapons. Iran immediately rejected the resolution.
The result of two months of negotiation, the resolution orders all countries to stop supplying Iran with materials and technology that could contribute to its nuclear and missile programs. It also would freeze Iranian assets of key companies and individuals related to those programs.
If Iran refuses to comply, the resolution warns Iran that the council will adopt further nonmilitary sanctions.
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The Iranian government immediately rejected the resolution, vowing in a statement from Tehran to continue enriching uranium and saying it ghas not delegated its destiny to the invalid decisions of the U.N. Security Council.h
The Bush administration said it hopes the resolution will clear the way for tougher measures by individual countries, particularly Russia.
gWe donft think this resolution is enough in itself,h Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said. gWe want to let the Iranians know that there is a big cost to them,h he added, so they will return to talks.
The administration had pushed for tougher penalties. But Russia and China, which both have strong commercial ties to Tehran, and Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, balked. To get their votes, the resolution dropped penalties such as a ban on international travel by Iranian officials involved in nuclear and missile development.
The U.N. vote came just a day after talks with North Korea, already under U.N. sanctions, failed to halt that countryfs atomic program.
Israel voices approval
Israel, which considers Iran its single greatest threat, welcomed the resolution. Mark Regev, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the vote was gan important first step in preventing Iranian nuclear proliferation.h
Iranfs U.N. Ambassador Javad Zarif denounced the council for imposing sanctions on Iran, which opposes nuclear weapons and has its facilities under U.N. safeguards, while doing nothing about Israel, whose prime minister recently appeared to confirm long suspicions that it is a nuclear power.
gA nation is being punished for exercising its inalienable rightsh to develop nuclear energy, primarily at the behest of the United States, Zarif said.
Ahead of the vote, Russian President Vladimir Putin called President Bush, agreeing on the need for a resolution, said Blain Rethmeier, a spokesman for Bush.
gWe hope the Russian government is going to work with us in a very active way to send this message of unity to Iran and we hope Russia is going to take a very vigorous approach itself,h Burns said after the vote.
Russiafs U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow agreed to sanctions because it wanted Iran gto lift remaining concerns over its nuclear program.h
Encouraging dialogue
He stressed that the goal must be to resume talks. If Iran suspends enrichment and reprocessing, the resolution calls for a suspension of sanctions gwhich would pave the way for a negotiated solution,h Churkin said.
Acting U.S. Ambassador Alejandro Wolff said he hopes the sanctions gwill convince Iran that the best way to ensure security it to abandonh nuclear enrichment.
Iran insists its nuclear program is intended to produce energy, but the Americans and Europeans suspect its ultimate goal is the production of weapons.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated Tuesday that Security Council sanctions would not stop Iran from pursuing uranium enrichment, a technology that can be used to produce nuclear fuel for civilian purposes or fuel for a nuclear bomb.
The resolution authorizes action under Article 41 of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter. It allows the Security Council to impose nonmilitary sanctions such as severing diplomatic and economic relations, transportation and communications links.
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