After nearly half a year of tough negotiations, the United Nations Security Council has endorsed a U.S. sponsored sanctions resolution against Iran over its suspect nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at developing atomic weapons.
12 out of the 15 members of the council voted in favor of the resolution, but three countries refused. Turkey and Brazil voted against, saying their 11th-hour negotiations with Iran aimed at convincing Tehran to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency obligations should have been given more time. The President of the Security Council then brought the resolution up for the vote. 12 countries voted in favor, Turkey and Brazil voted against, and Lebanon, under heavy Iranian political pressure, abstained. The 12 “yes” votes were enough to approve the resolution.
The resolution imposes an arms embargo against Iran, blacklists entities controlled by the Islamic Republic Shipping Lines, and freezes the assets of certain individuals and organizations tied to Iran’s nuclear program and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. It also calls for tighter restrictions on Iranian banks, asking countries to avoid transactions that could be connected to Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
While falling far short of the “crippling” sanctions against the country’s energy sector that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had been calling for, that would realy halt Iran's rushing development of Nuclear weapon, the measures are still viewed as significant because they provide both a legal and a moral base for further, wider sanctions by both the US and the EU.
After the approval deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon spoke with strident rhetoric on television channel CNN on the importance of the outcome of the council's vote.
"This is a historic moment, History will judge the countries by their votes, whether they pursued their own narrow and cynical interests or voted for peace and [regional] stability."
President Barack Obama on Wednesday said fresh U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran send an "unmistakable message" to that country over its nuclear program.
"This resolution will put in place the toughest sanctions ever faced by the Iranian government,It sends an unmistakable message about the international community's commitment to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons," he told reporters at the White House.
"We will ensure that these sanctions are vigorously enforced, just as we continue to refine and enforce our own sanctions on Iran,".
"There is no double standard at play here. We've made it clear, time and again, that we respect Iran's right, like all countries, to access peaceful nuclear energy," Obama said.
The Foreign Ministry commented too this evening."Israel views UN Security Council Resolution No. 1929 as an important step that sharpens the demand for Iran to comply with international demands: the suspension of uranium enrichment, including enhancements to 20%, cessation of construction in the Bakum nuclear facility, full cooperation with the IAEA investigation of the military dimension of its nuclear program, and granting full access to the agency".
"This is the sixth decision demanding Iran suspend nuclear enrichment and cooperate with the IAEA. Iran has blatantly violated all the decisions taken so far, and demonstrates a blatant disregard for the international community and its institutions. It is extremely important to implement this decision fully and immediately," added the ministry.
"However, we must be clear that the decision itself is not enough. It should be accompanied by significant steps in other international frameworks and at the national level. Only such sanctions, which focus on various sectors in Iran, may affect Iranian decisions.”
12 out of the 15 members of the council voted in favor of the resolution, but three countries refused. Turkey and Brazil voted against, saying their 11th-hour negotiations with Iran aimed at convincing Tehran to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency obligations should have been given more time. The President of the Security Council then brought the resolution up for the vote. 12 countries voted in favor, Turkey and Brazil voted against, and Lebanon, under heavy Iranian political pressure, abstained. The 12 “yes” votes were enough to approve the resolution.
The resolution imposes an arms embargo against Iran, blacklists entities controlled by the Islamic Republic Shipping Lines, and freezes the assets of certain individuals and organizations tied to Iran’s nuclear program and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. It also calls for tighter restrictions on Iranian banks, asking countries to avoid transactions that could be connected to Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
While falling far short of the “crippling” sanctions against the country’s energy sector that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had been calling for, that would realy halt Iran's rushing development of Nuclear weapon, the measures are still viewed as significant because they provide both a legal and a moral base for further, wider sanctions by both the US and the EU.
After the approval deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon spoke with strident rhetoric on television channel CNN on the importance of the outcome of the council's vote.
"This is a historic moment, History will judge the countries by their votes, whether they pursued their own narrow and cynical interests or voted for peace and [regional] stability."
President Barack Obama on Wednesday said fresh U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran send an "unmistakable message" to that country over its nuclear program.
"This resolution will put in place the toughest sanctions ever faced by the Iranian government,It sends an unmistakable message about the international community's commitment to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons," he told reporters at the White House.
"We will ensure that these sanctions are vigorously enforced, just as we continue to refine and enforce our own sanctions on Iran,".
"There is no double standard at play here. We've made it clear, time and again, that we respect Iran's right, like all countries, to access peaceful nuclear energy," Obama said.
The Foreign Ministry commented too this evening."Israel views UN Security Council Resolution No. 1929 as an important step that sharpens the demand for Iran to comply with international demands: the suspension of uranium enrichment, including enhancements to 20%, cessation of construction in the Bakum nuclear facility, full cooperation with the IAEA investigation of the military dimension of its nuclear program, and granting full access to the agency".
"This is the sixth decision demanding Iran suspend nuclear enrichment and cooperate with the IAEA. Iran has blatantly violated all the decisions taken so far, and demonstrates a blatant disregard for the international community and its institutions. It is extremely important to implement this decision fully and immediately," added the ministry.
"However, we must be clear that the decision itself is not enough. It should be accompanied by significant steps in other international frameworks and at the national level. Only such sanctions, which focus on various sectors in Iran, may affect Iranian decisions.”