United Nations – The U.N. Security Council passed a weakened resolution Monday giving Iran until Aug. 31 to suspend uranium enrichment or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.
Iran immediately rejected the council action, saying it would only make negotiations more difficult concerning a package of incentives offered in June for Tehran to suspend enrichment.
“All along it has been the persistence of some to draw arbitrary red lines and deadlines that has closed the door to any compromise,” said Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Javad Zarif.
Because of Russian and Chinese demands, the text was watered down from earlier drafts, which would have made the threat of sanctions immediate. The draft now essentially requires the council to hold more discussions before it considers sanctions.
The draft passed by a vote of 14-1. Qatar, which represents Arab states on the council, cast the dissenting vote.
“It’s a strong resolution,” President Bush said in Miami.
He thanked U.S. allies who backed the resolution, saying: “The Iranians must hear loud and clear that the world is intent on working together to make sure that they do not end up with a nuclear weapon or the know-how to build a nuclear weapon.”
Drafted by Britain, France and Germany with U.S. backing, the resolution follows a July 12 agreement – by the foreign ministers of those four countries, plus Russia and China – to refer Tehran to the Security Council for not responding to the incentives package.
The ministers asked that council members adopt a resolution making Iran’s suspension of enrichment activities mandatory.
The resolution includes that demand and calls on all states “to exercise vigilance” in preventing the transfer of all goods that could be used for Iran’s enrichment and ballistic missile programs.
After the resolution was adopted, Zarif told the council it had no legal legitimacy to demand Iran suspend uranium enrichment and reprocessing. He repeated Iran’s claim that it has every right to pursue nuclear technology and does not want to develop nuclear weapons.
