Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki urged the U.N. Security Council to wait for a report from the IAEA before taking any decision on a new sanctions resolution1. Opinions also differed among members of the UN Security Council and other members over the future course of action. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak on his part noted that a third round of UN sanctions would send a "serious political signal" for Iran to meet international demands and would encourage it to freeze uranium enrichment2. South Africa on the other hand protested the “rush” by the five veto-wielding Security Council members to adopt new UN sanctions3. IAEA Director-General, Dr. Mohammed ElBaradei meanwhile stated that the Agency was making headway in “resolving the remaining outstanding issues of the past4.”

In other news, reports noted that Iran was testing an advanced centrifuge at its Natanz nuclear complex. However, it's not yet known what stage the testing had reached or exactly how many centrifuges Iran was operating5.

• 1. Barry Malone, “Iran urges U.N. Council patience on sanctions,” Reuters, February 2, 2008, at http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL02304655.html?rpc=401&
• 2. “Russian diplomat: new U.N. sanctions to prompt Iran to freeze uranium enrichment,” International Herald Tribune, February 3, 2008, at http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=9699116
• 3. “S. Africa Protests Plan to Sanction Iran,” The New York Times, February 5, 2008, at http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-UN-Iran-Sanctions.html?_r=1&scp...
• 4. Alaa Shahine, “IAEA Director sees progress with Iran inquiry,” Reuters, February 3, 2008, at http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL03715244.html
• 5. Mark Heinrich, “Iran testing advanced centrifuges,” Yahoo News, February 6, 2008, at http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080206/wl_nm/iran_nuclear_centrifuges_dc;_y...