U.N. pressures Iran
Published 9:00 pm Saturday, February 4, 2006
VIENNA – Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency voted Saturday to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council over concerns that the country is trying to develop nuclear weapons, decisively ending Iran’s years-long effort to forestall action that could lead to further pressure on Tehran.
The 35-member agency board sent a resolution to the highest U.N. body, expressing “serious concerns” about Iran’s nuclear ambitions after nearly three years of trying to verify whether the country was pursuing a nuclear program for civilian or military purposes.
In response to the vote, Iran announced that it would resume its uranium enrichment activities and would no longer allow the agency inspections of its nuclear sites.
The 27-3 decision handed the United States and European countries a diplomatic victory. Russia and China were initially reluctant to report Iran to the council, but joined the stepped-up campaign after the board agreed to defer any action against Iran until March. In the end, only three countries – Cuba, Syria and Venezuela – voted against the measure.
The vote left unclear what action Iran might face. The Security Council could impose economic sanctions or an oil embargo against Iran. But Russia and China, which as permanent members of the council wield veto power, have expressed opposition to any significant punitive measures.
In forwarding the matter to the Security Council, the board’s resolution cited “Iran’s many failures and breaches of its obligations to comply” with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the “absence of confidence that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes resulting from the history of concealment.”
In Washington, President Bush said in a statement that “the path chosen by Iran’s new leaders – threats, concealment, and breaking international agreements and IAEA seals – will not succeed and will not be tolerated by the international community.”
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns called the vote “a powerful message of condemnation” and a “clear rebuke” of Iran.
“Diplomacy is now in a new phase,” he said, warning that the Iranian government faces tough decisions in the coming month. “I cannot say we are filled with hope the Iranians will do the right thing.”
