The Sunday Telegraph – The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously yesterday for a watered-down resolution imposing trade sanctions on Iran for its banned uranium enrichment programme after a last-minute phone call between President George W Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ended the Kremlin’s delaying tactics.
Russia, which is helping Iran build a nuclear power station, was finally persuaded to drop its objections after two months of haggling about the wording of the resolution which will impose sanctions on Iran’s trade in sensitive nuclear materials and ballistic missiles.
Teheran immediately condemned the vote and vowed to start operating an additional 3,000 centrifuges for uranium enrichment at its Natanz plant south of the capital. Iran’s leaders have previously threatened to end co-operation with the UN’s atomic energy agency, pull out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or even block the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, if sanctions were imposed.
advertisementThe US and EU3 negotiating troika of Britain, France and Germany believe that Iran is clandestinely developing nuclear weapons but Teheran insists its atomic programme is for peaceful purposes. Enriched uranium can be used for nuclear bombs or fuel for power plants.
After the vote, Russian diplomats emphasised that the resolution did not permit any use of force, although enforcement by member states is mandatory. The resolution bans Iranian imports and exports of materials and technology relating to uranium enrichment, reprocessing and heavy-water reactors, as well as ballistic missile delivery systems. It also imposes an asset freeze on key companies and individuals named on a UN list.
The Western powers had initially wanted a broader sanctions package that would have imposed tougher financial, trade and travel restrictions but Moscow made clear it would use its veto to block stricter measures. John Bolton, the outgoing US ambassador to the UN, has indicated that Washington might pursue its own diplomatic "coalition of the willing" to impose harsher sanctions.
The UN atomic agency will report back on Iran’s nuclear operations within 60 days. "This is a tough resolution, passed unanimously. It imposes sanctions on Iran for the first time but also leaves the door open for Iran to suspend its enrichment activities," said a British diplomat.
But Nicholas Burns, the US Under Secretary of State, said: "We don’t think this resolution is enough in itself. We want to the international community to take further action. And we’re certainly not going to put all of our eggs in a UN basket."
If as expected Iran refuses to comply, the resolution warns Iran that the council may adopt further non-military sanctions. "The new resolution won’t be an obstacle in the way of Iran’s nuclear progress," an Iranian foreign ministry statement said. "The Iranian nation, relying on its national capabilities and within the framework of its rights stipulated in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, will continue its peaceful nuclear activities."
Alireza Jafarzadeh, the opposition official who revealed the existence of Iran’s secret nuclear sites in 2002, welcomed the vote. "Regardless of the terms, the important thing was to get a resolution against Iran as a first stage," he told The Sunday Telegraph. "But the clock is ticking and we must not allow the regime to drag its feet."