West softens stance on Iran nuclear sanctions
Diplomats take aim at Iranian finances in Europe but drop call to blacklist Tehran central bank.
By Reuters Tags: Russia Israel news Iran nuclearA Western proposal for fresh UN sanctions on Iran includes a call for restricting new Iranian banks abroad and urges "vigilance" against the Islamic Republic's central bank, diplomats said on Friday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, Western diplomats familiar with negotiations on the draft proposal - which Washington worked on with Britain, France and Germany and then shared with Russia and China - said they were no longer pushing for an official UN blacklisting of the central bank.
The draft also calls for restrictions on new Iranian banks abroad, which would make it difficult for Tehran to skirt a global crackdown on transactions with existing Iranian financial institutions by setting up new ones.
"We will be looking for a tightening of restrictions of new Iranian bank activity overseas," one diplomat said.
The UN Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran for defying UN demands it halt nuclear enrichment. Tehran rejects Western charges that its nuclear program is aimed at developing bombs and says it will only be used to generate electricity.
Another diplomat said urging vigilance about Iran's central bank in the U.S.-drafted proposal should be more acceptable to Russia and China than blacklisting it, which would have made it difficult for anyone to invest in Iran.
"The idea is to call for strengthened vigilance regarding transactions linked to the Iranian central bank, which the European Union and United States and others can then use as the basis for implementing their own tougher restrictions on (such) transactions," a second diplomat said.
Only one Iranian bank -- Bank Sepah -- is blacklisted under an array of UN sanctions spelled out in three resolutions adopted by the Security Council in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The council has issued warnings about two others -- Bank Melli and Bank Saderat -- but has not blacklisted them.
The new draft also targets Iranian shipping firms and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and firms linked to it. The measures would restrict insurance and reinsurance coverage of cargo shipments in and out of Iran, diplomats said.
It would also expand the restrictions on arms trade with Iran into a full arms embargo, including a global inspection regime similar to one in place against North Korea.
The diplomats said Russia's initial reaction was negative.
"Russia says the draft does not correspond to their idea of what the sanctions should be and they reject many of the measures in the latest draft," a diplomat said.
China has not reacted and has so far refused to engage in "substantive negotiations" on a fourth round of UN sanctions against Tehran. The four Western powers hope to organize a conference call with officials from all six countries to discuss the draft but have been unable to do so due to China.
Both Russia and China have lucrative trade ties to Tehran, though Moscow has indicated it could support new punitive steps against Iran provided they are not too severe. China has not ruled out backing new sanctions but has repeatedly said the issue should be resolved through dialogue, not punishment.
Moscow and Beijing reluctantly supported the three previous rounds of travel bans and frozen assets targeting individuals and firms tied to Iran's nuclear and missile industries. Russia and China, like the United States, Britain and France, have veto powers on the UN Security Council.
Western diplomats hope to present a formal draft resolution to the full 15-nation Security Council in the coming weeks so it can be adopted some time next month at the latest.
Iran: Bushehr nuclear plant to be operational in spring
Iran's long-delayed Bushehr nuclear power plant will be launched within a few months, the Iranian nuclear energy agency chief said on Friday.
"This plant will be launched according to schedule at the end of the spring and will run the same as the other nuclear plants in the world," Ali Akbar Saleh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation said in quotes carried by news agency ILNA.
The Iranian spring ends in late June.
Russia said in January it would finish building a 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant this year that it agreed to build 15 years ago. Delays have haunted the e1 billion project and diplomats say Moscow has used it as a lever in relations with Tehran.
Russia says the Bushehr plant is purely civilian and cannot be used for any weapons program as it will come under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision. Iran will have to return all spent fuel rods to Russia.
An IAEA review of Bushehr's safety regulation gave it good marks but assessed that Iran should pass legislation to make its nuclear regulatory authority a completely independent body, the agency said in a report this week.
The IAEA reviewers, who were from seven member states and visited Iran including Bushehr from Feb. 20 to March 2, also urged Tehran to join global conventions on nuclear safety, including one dealing with radioactive waste management.
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The West is taking aim at Iranian money abroad. |
| Photo by: (AP) |
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...not at all EQUAL Maureen...Iran's reactor is for electric power, Israel's is for bombs.
'Another stunning success for Netanyahu's foreign policy.' Netanyahu has nothing to do with it. Read the article again, and pay attention this time: 'Both Russia and China have lucrative trade ties to Tehran...' Money talks, and nations listen. If China and Russia had equally lucrative trade ties to Israel, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The UN Security Council would have enacted genuinely tough sanctions against Iran long ago. Truly, sir, your naivety is stunning. MV
The first thing was the Obama administration's refusal to stop the Bush administration's sales of weapons to Taiwan. The second was flaunting the former CIA employee, the Dali Lama, at the White House. China, which was not really happy with the problems that sanctions would cause jumped ship. The other factor has to do with IAEA monitoring of Iranian nuclear programs. Despite all the hype, the latest IAEA report GOV/2010/10, shows that the Iranian program is in deep trouble. There are severe problems with their centrifuge cascades, resulting in having fewer in operation during the last quarter of 2009 than the second. The last major reason was that Israel badly overplayed it's hand and produced nothing that either Moscow or Bejing considered valid. One must know that both have their own intelligence services and can cross check what they are told - something Netanyahu seemed to forget. Neither nation wants another nuclear weapons power.
Iran is neither Germany nor Japan 1939. It's 2010. You make as much sense as Maureen Ann. What part of "no," don't you get? Neither Iran nor Israel gets to start WW III. Neither gets to blow up the Middle East or the world. The Iranian people are not Amelek; you don't get to exterminate 70 million of them.
If Japan or Nazi Germany had nukes back then you would by same logic applauded.
if Israel comprehended the golden rule; 'love thy neighbour' and stopped coveting that which is not for the taking by way of war and deception.
Keep your money in cash. Two days after Israel blows up Iran move all of it back to stocks.
What part of "no" is so hard for you guys to understand? You cannot start WWIII. You cannot get the US attacked in retaliation for your need to kill people. Bush told you this. Obama told you this. Biden is coming to tell you this. If you are intent on suicide, blow yourselves up. You do not have the right to kill off the rest of the world.
for Netanyahu's foreign policy
Is anybody really surprised??? Obama and Co. have long accepted a nuclear Iran. But what the consequences will be, that's the Pandora's Box! Just like Obama's failed economic policies, his foreign objectives will bring some really bitter fruit in the years to come-a Middle East abounding with nukes.
Each failed step in using sanctions against Iran raises the probability that the Iranian nuclear & missile threats will be resolved by force. If Russia & China believe they are protecting their interests by protecting Iran, they are likely to suffer disapointment on the long term as severe infrastructure destruction in the country & possible regime change will not reward their close ties with a despise regime.
It is as nice as the potential for World War III. But don`t let that bother you. Sleep tight.
Leaving Israel to handle these lunatics alone. Now Obama can say he succeeded! by getting Russia and China aboard on completely useless sanctions. Draw your own conclusions.
there is no point in waiting. iran building nukes is a done deal. The "west" has no real intent to stop it..it's all for public relations..I believe obama long ago made the decision to play it out, make it look like they are trying, but in the end, the know that the real strategy is containment. It's such a disgrace...we are watching an evil regime, intent on martyrdom, destruction of western values, committed to wiping out israel, develop nukes..if that's not utter irresponsibility on the part of all nations....as if we would have let hitler aquire nukes...containment won't work with these monkeys...nor will MAD. Israel should just attack and get this on...of course the repercussions will be horrible, but not more horrible than a nuclear war. obama is a failure. a real failure. I hope all dems who voted for him vote him out next time. he sounds good, looks good, but he has been a disaster on policy, both foreign & domestic policy.
On a clear day, the Bushehr nuclear facility will be able to wave greetings to the Dimona nuclear facility... all will be equal.