UN Council slaps new UN sanctions on Iran

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council Saturday slapped new sanctions on Iran over its suspect nuclear program as Western powers warned Tehran it faced becoming even more internationally isolated.

The council’s 15 members unanimously adopted Resolution 1747, co-sponsored by Britain, France and non-member Germany, broadening UN sanctions imposed on Iran in December for spurning repeated demands to suspend sensitive uranium enrichment.

“The unanimous adoption of this resolution reflects the international community’s profound concern over Iran’s nuclear program,” said Britain’s UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, one of the sponsors.

But foreign ministers of veto-wielding council members China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States plus non-member Germany also issued a statement proposing “further talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran to see if a mutually acceptable way can be found to open negotiations.”

In a statement released by the US State Department and endorsed by the European Union, the six reaffirmed their commitment “to a negotiated solution (with Iran) that would address the international community’s concerns.”

The resolution, agreed after days of behind-the-scenes bargaining, blocks all Iranian arms exports and freezes the overseas assets of 28 additional officials and institutions linked to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

It also restricts financial aid or loans to Tehran, and sets a fresh 60-day deadline for Iran to comply with UN demands or face “further appropriate measures.”

The minister reaffirmed Iran’s right to conduct uranium enrichment as enshrined by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which Tehran signed. Washington for its part welcomed the new sanctions, warning Tehran that it would face growing international isolation if it failed to comply with its obligations.

“We are obviously very pleased by the strength of this resolution. It is a significant international rebuke to Iran and is a significant tightening of the international pressure on Iran,” US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told reporters.

He however said European Union envoys would now try to prod Iran into reconsidering its decision to continue with sensitive nuclear activities.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and other EU diplomats “would be in touch with the Iranian government in the days and weeks ahead to see if they might reconsider their obstinate refusal to renegotiate,” he added.

“We hope they (Iranians) will thoroughly study the statement of the foreign ministers which is very positive and invites Iran to engage in talks to find a mutually acceptable formula for negotiation,” Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said after the vote.

Iran has repeatedly denied allegations that it is trying to develop nuclear weapons, saying its uranium enrichment is purely to help meet the country’s energy needs. Uranium is the basic material for both military and civilian nuclear programs.

The draft resolution was worked out last week by the five veto-wielding permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — and Germany.

It builds on the December sanctions which included a ban on the sale of nuclear and ballistic missile-related materials to Iran, foreign travel restrictions on Iranians involved in sensitive atomic and ballistic missile work and a freeze on their overseas assets.

An annex to the new resolution details the diplomatic, economic and security incentives which the six powers presented to Iran last June to coax it into giving up uranium enrichment.

Three council non-permanent members, South Africa, Indonesia and Qatar, which had pressed for amendments, expressed reservations about the resolution but still decided to vote in favor.

South Africa, which dismantled its nuclear weapons program in the early 1990s during its transition from white minority rule, has consistently defended Iran’s right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

It fought for and secured insertion of a paragraph in the text reaffirming the authority and lead of the International Atomic Energy Agency in determining the nature of the Iranian nuclear program

New York Sunday, AFP.