U.N. Security Council Nears Iran Vote; Tehran Provides IAEA With New Information, Access

The U.N. Security Council neared a vote today on sanctioning Iran for its refusal to curb its nuclear activities, but Russia and the United States both indicated that more negotiating was required before they would approve a resolution, Reuters reported (see GSN, Dec. 21).

“Maybe Saturday, yes, but clearly we will need tomorrow [Friday],” Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said yesterday.  “Just two or three issues remain, but those are difficult issues.”

A draft resolution circulated Wednesday to the entire 15-nation Security Council included a significant concession to Russia by dropping a provision banning the international travel of a group of Iranian officials linked to the nation’s nuclear and missile programs (Evelyn Leopold, Reuters I, Dec. 22).

Meanwhile, Iran has begun to implement recent promises to provide more information to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reuters reported.

At a November meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors, Iran agreed to provide the operating records of its uranium enrichment centrifuge facility at Natanz and to allow the agency to take samples from a former research center at Lavizan-Shian (see GSN, Nov. 27).

Both measures are intended to aid the agency’s understanding of the enrichment activity Iran conducted covertly for nearly two decades.

“They’ve handed over the documents, the operating records.  They’re being the good guys at the moment,” said a European diplomat.  “Perhaps they hope this will reduce support for sanctions, especially in Russia.”

As for the Lavizan site, “The IAEA is scheduled to take samples tomorrow [Friday],” a Western diplomat said yesterday.  “Let’s hope it actually happens” (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters II, Dec. 21).

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