Iran Now One Step Closer to the UN Security Council

Iranian blogger, Arash Motamed, Rooz Online:

After four days of heated deliberations over what to do with Iran’s nuclear program, the governing board of the IAEA finally approved the third European draft, which calls on the agency to report Iran’s treaty non-compliance to the UN Security Council, without setting a specific date.

Iran was hoping that Russia, China or India who has appeared sympathetic to Iran’s position and reasoning, would stop the resolution from passage. Russian and China along with another 10 states abstained, while India supported the resolution, which had only one negative vote, from Venezuela. READ MORE

According to the resolution, the secretary general of the agency will present his report to the next meeting to be held in about two months’ time. The resolution calls on Iran to suspend its enrichment activities and provide international inspectors access to scientists, documents and facilities.

A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry Hamid Reza Asefi immediately responded by claiming the resolution had “no legal basis” and was thus unacceptable. AlBaradei, on the other hand, said the vote was “a valid decision supported by a majority.” Asefi said the Europeans failed as they wished to take Iran immediately to the UN Security Council. Javad Vaeedi, a deputy at Iran’s supreme national security council and the head of Iran’s negotiations in Vienna where the IAEA resides also claimed “the US and Britain failed in sending Iran’s nuclear file to the UN Security Council.” He further threatened that good will would be reciprocated with good will, while threats would be responded with threats.

The Iranian delegation in Vienna declared that a full response to the resolution would come from Tehran shortly.