Draft resolution to impose new round of sanctions on Iran agreed upon; Iran expresses surprise about proposed sanctions; Russia completes delivery of nuclear fuel for Bushehr; Iran allows IAEA inspectors to visit P-2 centrifuge R&D lab
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    • Reports indicated that the permanent members of the Security Council have agreed on an incremental increase in sanctions on Iran1. This would include a new restriction on exporters doing business with the country. A draft resolution which was hammered out on January 23, 2008 calls for more monitoring of Iran's military and financial institutions, broader travel bans on Iranian nuclear scientists and other key officials, and freezing the assets of people and banks linked to weapons proliferation. Russia and China, which have strong business ties with Iran, resisted earlier British and French draft principles pushing for harsher sanctions if Iran kept refusing to stop enriching uranium.

    Ambassador Nicholas Burns rejected Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s statement that the resolution did not contain harsh measures2. Noting that the resolution was meant to be punitive, he added that the draft increased travel restrictions on Iranian nuclear scientists, banned trade in items that can be used for nuclear purposes and froze more Iranian assets3. Iran on its part, expressing surprise over the proposed new sanctions, stated that major powers should have waited for the report of the IAEA in March4.

    In other developments, Russia completed its delivery of nuclear fuel for the Bushehr nuclear reactor, having delivered 82 tonnes of nuclear fuel enriched to 1-3 per cent5. Iran has also allowed top IAEA inspectors to visit an advanced centrifuge development site for the first time. The Iranian R&D centrifuge lab visited by the inspectors was conducting research on developing better centrifuges. IAEA Director General ElBaradei noted that he would include the results of the inquiry in a report due out around February 206.

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