The U.N. Security Council demanded Wednesday that Iran suspend uranium
enrichment, the first time the powerful body has directly urged Tehran to clear
up suspicions that it is seeking nuclear weapons.
The 15-nation council unanimously approved a statement that will ask the U.N.
nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to report back in 30
days on Iran's compliance with demands to stop enriching uranium.
Diplomats portrayed the statement, which is not legally binding, as a first,
modest step toward compelling Iran to make clear that its program is for
peaceful purposes. The Security Council could eventually impose economic
sanctions, though Russia and China say they oppose such tough measures
The document was adopted by consensus and without a vote after a flurry of
negotiations among the five veto-wielding council members. In the end, Britain,
France and the United States made several concessions to China and Russia who
wanted as mild a statement as possible.
Still, the Western countries said the statement expresses the international
community's shared conviction that Iran must comply with the governing board of
the IAEA and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Enrichment is a process that can produce either fuel for a nuclear reactor or
the material for a nuclear warhead.
"The council is expressing its clear concern and is saying to Iran that it
should comply with the wishes of the governing board," France's U.N Ambassador
Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said.
Members of the council wanted to reach a deal before Thursday, when foreign
ministers from the five veto-wielding council members and Germany meet in Berlin
to discuss strategy on Iran.
Diplomats would not say exactly what will happen if Iran does not comply the
statement within 30 days, but suggested that would be discussed by the foreign
ministers in Berlin.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said earlier Wednesday that the statement "sends
an unmistakable message to Iran that its efforts to deny the obvious fact of
what it's doing are not going to be sufficient."
The council has struggled for three weeks to come up with a written rebuke
that would urge Iran to comply with several demands from the board of the IAEA
to clear up suspicions about its intentions. Tehran insists its nuclear program
is for peaceful purposes.
The West believes council action will help isolate Iran and put new pressure
on it to clear up suspicions about its intentions. They have proposed an
incremental approach, refusing to rule out sanctions.
U.S. officials have said the threat of military action must also remain on
the table.
Russia and China oppose sanctions. They wanted any council statement to make
explicit that the IAEA, not the Security Council, must take the lead in
confronting Iran.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeated his stance that Moscow would
not support the use of force to solve the Iranian nuclear problem.
"As many of our European and Chinese colleagues have stated more than once,
any ideas involving the use of force or pressure in resolving the issue are
counterproductive and cannot be supported," Lavrov said Wednesday in Moscow.
Iran remains defiant. The government released a statement through its embassy
in Moscow on Tuesday warning that Security Council intervention would "escalate
tensions, entailing negative consequences that would be of benefit to no
party."