Nuclear Crisis

[Rasputin]

تحریکات اُلمرد

نماینده ایران در آژانس اتمی

سرانجام، پا در دام اسرائیل نهاد

سیاستمداران اسرائیل کهنه کار تر از آن هستند که ندانند چه حرفی را چه موقع باید زد و چه موقع نباید زد. ممکن است بی گدار به جبهه جنگی بزنند، اما بی گدار حرف سیاسی نمی زنند. بنابراین، آن اعلام تقریبا مستقیم نخست وزیر اسرائیل پیرامون قدرت اتمی این کشور، در دیدار اخیر از آلمان، حرفی نبود که از دهان او در رفته باشد. چند تنی از مقامات اسرائیل و برخی مطبوعات اسرائیل از آن سخن نخست وزیر اسرائیل بعنوان یک اشتباه انتقاد کردند و سپس دفاع قاطع وزیر دفاع اسرائیل از آن سخنان و ضرورت بیان آن حجت را بر مطبوعات و بقیه دولتمردان و اپوزیسیون حکومتی اسرائیل تمام کرد و لب فرو بستند.

وزیر دفاع اسرائیل نگفت که چرا باید نخست وزیر اسرائیل در آلمان می گفت که "اسرائیل قدرت اتمی است"، اما واضح بود که از قبل در جریان چنین موضع گیری بوده و آن را آن را انتظار می کشیده است.

پیرامون آن به ظاهر اعتراف نخست وزیر اسرائیل تفسیرهای متفاوتی وجود دارد، اما واقع بینانه ترین آنها، تحریک ایران برای اعلام قدرت اتمی متقابل از یکسو و جلب تمام کشورهای عرب منطقه به دور اسرائیل اتمی برای مقابله با ایران اتمی است. واکنش سرد و توام با سوکت مقامات حاکمیت درایران، گویای این تیزهوشی بود که پس از چند موضع گیری شتابزده مطبوعات داخلی، خیلی زود اهداف سیاسی پشت آن اعتراف نخست وزیر اسرائیل را درک کرده و در چاله ای که برای ایران کنده بود نیفتادند. اکنون 10 روز پس از آن ماجرا، به یکباره و معلوم نیست با اشاره و هدایت چه مقامی در داخل کشور، نماینده ایران در آژانس اتمی یک پای خود را در همان چاله ای گذاشته که نخست وزیر اسرائیل در آلمان برای ایران کنده بود.

خبرگزاری اسوشیتدپرس از وین و از قول "علي اصغر سلطانيه" نماينده ايران در آژانس بين المللي انرژي اتمي که در نشست پرسش و پاسخ موسسه روابط بین الملل اتریش شرکت کرده بود، گزارش داد:

«اين هفته نخست وزير رژيم صهيونيستي اعلام كرد كه آنها سلاح هسته*يي دارند و اكنون مقامات و دولت*هاي جهان و اروپايي*ها را مي*بينيد كه چيزي در اين باره نمي*گويند و سكوت اختيار كرده*اند. اين شرم آور است.

ما كشور بزرگي به وسعت يك ميليون و 600 هزار متر مربع داريم و چنين فضايي براي دستگاه*هاي سانتريفيوژ كافي است. اين دستگاه*ها مي*تواند ساخته، راه*اندازي و در هر مكاني نصب و مورد حفاظت قرار گيرد. ايران در صورت حمله مي*تواند تاسيسات هسته*يي*اش را مخفي و به كار خود ادامه دهد. آمريكايي*ها در اشتباه*اند؛ ايران يك جزيره كوچك نيست كه با يك كاترينا محو شود.

[Rasputin]

Russia says U.N. Iran draft meets main concerns: Ifax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday a new draft U.N. Security Council resolution on Iran over its nuclear program largely met Moscow's concerns and could become the basis of a consensus decision.



"The new resolution prepared by the EU3 (European big three) that is now being discussed in the Security Council has to a large extent taken into account our approaches," Sergei Lavrov told Interfax in an interview.

"We are counting on ... being able to come to a consensus decision in the U.N. Security Council that will prompt the Iranians to sit down to negotiations and provide active and full cooperation with the IAEA ( International Atomic Energy Agency) on all the remaining questions relating to Iran's nuclear activity," he said.

It was not clear if these comments by Lavrov, in an exclusive interview with Interfax in which he reviewed Russian foreign policy in 2006, represented a diplomatic shift by Moscow.

Western nations are pushing for a vote this week on a Security Council draft resolution which imposes sanctions on Iran for its nuclear ambitions.

Russia, which has close economic ties with Tehran, has, with China, been cautious up to now on the resolution, drafted by the Europeans and supported by the United States.

The resolution is a reaction to Iran's failure to comply with an August 31 U.N. deadline to suspend uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for nuclear power plants or for bombs.

Iran says it is pursuing nuclear power for peaceful means, while the United States and major European governments believe its research is a cover for bomb-making.

Russia, which from the start of the crisis has been cooler on sanctions, has objected at the United Nations to several provisions in the draft, including a travel ban and a list of Iranians subject to an assets freeze.

Lavrov said the new resolution in particular "focuses on those spheres of nuclear activity which arouse the IAEA's concern -- the enrichment of uranium, chemical processing and heavy water programs, as well as limiting deliveries to Iran of goods and technology which are related to the creation of nuclear weapons delivery systems."

He made no specific reference to the travel ban or other areas where Russia has been at odds with Western nations.

[Rasputin]

The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, today said UN sanctions would not stop Iran from enriching uranium.
The show of defiance came as the UN security council moved closer to adopting a resolution after months of wrangling. Russia said today a new draft met most of its concerns.

"The new draft resolution, which has been drawn up by the European troika (Britain, France and Germany) and is now being debated within the UN security council, takes most of our approaches into consideration," the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told the news service Interfax.

Russia, which has close economic ties with Tehran, and China have been reluctant to approve too tough a resolution, which has been in the works since Iran's failure to comply with an August 31 deadline to suspend uranium enrichment.
To meet Russian and Chinese concerns that the initial resolution was too broad, the draft has been revised to specify exactly what materials and technology would be prohibited, and to name affected individuals and companies.

The revised draft also removed a reference to a nuclear facility being built by the Russians at Bushehr in south-west Iran. The facility, expected to go online in late 2007, would be Iran's first atomic power plant.

Mr Ahmadinejad today warned Britain, France and Germany that Iran will consider their support for any sanctions as an act of hostility.

Speaking a day after election results indicated his allies suffered an embarrassing defeat in local council elections, the Iranian president said: "These three European countries should know that if they insist on preventing the Iranian nation from its path, the Iranian nation will consider their behaviour as enmity and an act of hostility, and will change its behaviour towards them accordingly."

Mr Ahmadinejad also said it was shameful for the world to turn a blind eye to an apparent Israeli admission that it has nuclear weapons while continuing to pressure Iran to give up its programme.

"They shamelessly remain silent or smile in consent towards the official announcement by the Zionist occupying regime possessing nuclear weapons, but insist, using their influence in global organisations, to impose so-called sanctions against the Iranian nation," he said.

Mr Ahmadinejad was referring to an interview aired in Germany last week, when the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, appeared to include Israel in a list of nuclear states.

[Rasputin]

Annan: Iran Intervention Would Be Unwise

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called Tuesday for key parties to seek a negotiated settlement with Iran over its nuclear program and warned that military intervention would be "unwise and disastrous."

Annan, who steps down as U.N. chief Dec. 31, issued the warning as the Security Council debated a resolution that would impose sanctions on Tehran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment. The United States is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to Persian Gulf as a show of force against Iran.

After two rounds of closed-doors talks Tuesday, the six key nations trying to negotiate with Iran _ Britain, France, Germany, the U.S., Russia and China _ remained divided on the scope of sanctions. They scheduled another meeting on Wednesday.

"Our goal is to get this resolution done this week," said acting U.S. ambassador Alejandro Wolff. But Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he was more concerned about the content than the timing.

Annan addressed concerns about a possible military operation in Iran at a farewell news conference in response to a question about how the Security Council should deal with crises after the Iraq war. The council refused to authorize a war against Saddam Hussein in 2003 and Annan called the U.N.'s failure to stop the conflict "the worst moment" of his 10 years as secretary-general.

"You mentioned Iran, which implies that there is concern that there may be another military operation there," Annan told a reporter. "First of all, I don't think we are there yet, or we should go in that direction."

"I think it would be rather unwise and disastrous," he said. "I believe that the council, which is discussing the issue, will proceed cautiously and try and do whatever it can to get a negotiated settlement for the sake of the region and for the sake of the world," he said.

The Bush administration has repeatedly declined to rule out the use of force in Iran, although senior officials have also said their first choice is to rely on diplomacy.

A senior U.S. defense official said the idea of building up U.S. Navy forces has been discussed for some time and one proposal is to send a second aircraft carrier to the region. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the idea has not been approved, said it was unclear when a decision will be made.

Iran insists its nuclear program is aimed solely at the peaceful production of nuclear energy, but the Americans and Europeans suspect Tehran's ultimate goal is the production of nuclear weapons

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated Tuesday that possible Security Council sanctions would not stop Iran from pursuing uranium enrichment, a technology that can be used to produce nuclear fuel for civilian purposes or fuel for a nuclear bomb.

Annan expressed concern that because of Iran's nuclear program and the situation in Israel, which is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, several governments in the Middle East have said recently they are going to explore facilities to produce nuclear energy.

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov snapped back at critics of Moscow's human rights record and foreign policy, and warned against what he said were attempts to punish Iran for its nuclear programme.

Lavrov used an end-of-year press conference to declare Russia's return to "leading power" status.

In a dig at critics, Lavrov said: "We understand that such a rapid recovery of Russia seems a surprise. For some it may be an unpleasant surprise."

He complained that too often attacks about Russia's level of democracy and human rights were made through the "megaphone" and that "an impression is created that the main goal is not to help Russia improve certain things."

"Such criticism grows when Russia is feeling more sure of its strength," he said.

Lavrov also underlined Moscow's increasing assertiveness on foreign policy.

He accused Russia's Western partners in the UN Security Council of trying to "turn the situation in their favour" in the drafting of a text resolution on Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

Without naming which countries he meant, Lavrov said they were attempting to "introduce an element of punishment" when the resolution was only intended to prompt Iran into negotiations.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are trying to hash out a way to prevent Iran from gaining a military nuclear capacity. These include measures to block Tehran from accessing missile technology and enriching uranium.

Russia is a strong supporter of Iran's right to civilian nuclear technology and is building the country's first atomic power station in Bushehr.

The United States and other Western countries suspect that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian nuclear energy programme. Tehran denies this.

Lavrov said the Security Council "should help unblock the negotiations with Iran and not punish Iran."

He also took aim at the Western media, particularly what he described as misleading coverage of the radiation poisoning in London last month of fugitive Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko.

"I am witnessing efforts to cast this image in a dark hue," Lavrov said.

"It is important that our point of view is also taken into account," Lavrov said. "Today, often only subjective points of view" are reported.

"Witnesses appear that no one in Russia knows and that no one in England has seen, and it is their testimony that fills the reporting."

On another source of Russian-Western tensions -- the row between Moscow and ex-Soviet Georgia -- Lavrov was equally firm.

He accused Georgia of failing to take positive steps. "We don't see any improvement," he said.

In a thinly veiled reference to the United States, he also described Georgia as seeking a "foreign protector" and said that this explained the country's "anti-Russian position."

Georgia, an impoverished republic of less than five million people, is furious over Moscow's support for two separatist regions and the imposition of wide-ranging economic sanctions by Russia in September.

Moscow has been alarmed by Georgia's accelerating moves toward integration with Western institutions, including the US-dominated military alliance NATO.

[Rasputin]

Proud propaganda
Iranian nuclear industry public relations film.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOjqqr681j8&eurl="]YouTube - Iranian Nuclear Facilities[/ame]

[donsaeid]

belakhare tahrim kardan! bebinim badesh chi mishe!

albate in tahrim na dandoon dasht na changal! faghat goftan keshvari be iran selah va technologye selahe hastei ro ersal nakone!

be nazaram in tahrim nabod va faghat kashk bo!

[Rasputin]

نماينده*ى آمريكا در سازمان ملل:ما امروز ايران را در مواجه با مقياس كوچكى از تحريم*هاى شوراى امنيت قرار مي*دهيم.
*وزارت خارجه رژيم:مردم ايران سرنوشت خود را به تصميمات بي*اعتبار شوراى امنيت نسپرده و پس از اين اقدام هم نخواهند سپرد.
*براساس قطعنامه مصوب در صورت خودداری رژيم اسلامی از اجرای تصميات شورای امنيت ظرف دو ماه آينده اقدامات تنبهی تازه ای براساس فصل 7 منشور سازمان ملل در دستور کار شورای امنيت قرار خواهد گرفت


روشنگری:سرانجام پس از ماهها مشاجره و چانه زنی و چندين دور گفتگوهای نيمه کاره رها شده ميان نمايندگان رژيم اسلامی و کشورهای عضو شورای امنيت سازمان ملل و در راس آنها کشورهای اروپايی, شورای امنيت سازمان ملل روز شنبه 2 دی قطعنامه تحريم اقتصادی ايران را به اتفاق آرا تصويب کرد.

تصويب اين قطعنامه در شرايطی که آمريکا به خاطر شکست آمريکا در عراق و عواقب آن توانايی حمله نظامی به ايران را ندارد بخشی از برنامه حداقل آنها بود, و هدف اين که تا پديدار شدن تناسب قوای مناسب در وارد ساختن ضربه نهايی زمينه و مسير حرکت را برای پيشروی گام به گام در چنين جهتی مهيا سازند. اين سياست اما بدون همدستی رژيم جمهوری اسلامی و سياست های ماجراجويانه اش پيش نمی رفت. سياست های جمهوری اسلامی و لجاجت هايش در کشاندن مردم ايران به دامچاله تحريم های اقتصادی مهم ترين و اصلی ترين عامل در موفقيت کاخ سفيد در برداشتن اولين گام در اين زمينه يعنی تصويب قطعنامه تحريم ها در شورای امنيت است.

بلافاصله پس از تصويب تحريم ها رژيم بار ديگر زمزمه های مربوط به خروج از ان. ت. پی را از سر گرفته است و آن را همراه با تاکيد بر آمادگی برای مذاکره بدون قطع غنی سازی اورانيوم مطرح کرده است. در حالی که چنين اقدامی فقط و فقط کمک به سياست آمريکا برای برداشتن گام دوم در مسير تشديد حلقه محاصره اقتصادی و تسهيل شرايط برای نزديکی هر چه بيشتر سياست های کشورهای گروه پنج باضافه يک است.

به قطعنامه پيشنهادی فرانسه که قبلا بر سر آن چانه زنی های لازم با روسيه صورت گرفته بود, هر پنج کشور عضو دائمی شورای امنيت همچنين اعضای غير دائم اين شورا در جلسه ای که ساعتی پيش به رياست عبدالعزيز الناصر رييس قطري* پايان يافت رای مثبت دادند. همچنان که پيش بينی می شد, چين و روسيه نيز در نهايت به تصويب اين قطعنامه رای مثبت دادند.

در رابطه با مباحث تصويب قطعنامه, "الكس ولف،" نماينده*ى فعلى آمريكا در سازمان ملل گفت:"ما امروز ايران را در مواجه با مقياس كوچكى از تحريم*هاى شوراى امنيت قرار مي*دهيم."

"ويتالى چوركين،" نماينده*ى روسيه گفت: "توافق بر سر پيش نويس قطعنامه پس از مذاكرات طولانى و پيچيده حاصل شده است و بر اساس آن از ايران مي*خواهيم تا براى جلب اعتماد جهانى اقدام كند."
وى تاكيد كرد: "نبايد در اين قطعنامه به استفاده از زور اجازه داده شود."

رژيم اسراييل با استقبال از تصويب قطعنامه خواستار اقدامات بيشتر و قاطعانه*تر عليه جمهورى اسلامى ايران شد.

فليپ دوست بلازى وزير امور خارجه فرانسه پس از تصويب قطعنامه* از رژيم اسلامی خواست حال كه قطعنامه تصويب شده است به مذاكره بازگردد.

خبرگزارى فرانسه اصلي*ترين نكات قطعنامه مصوب شوراى امنيت را به شرح زير منتشر كرد:

- انجام اقدامات بر اساس بند 41 فصل 7 منشور سازمان ملل كه دربرگيرنده*ى تحريم*هاى غير نظامى است.

- ايران بايد بدون تاخير، تمام فعاليت*هاى حساس هسته*يي*اش را متوقف كند كه شامل تمام فعاليت*هاى مربوط به غنى سازي، بازفرآورى در زمينه*ى تحقيق، توسعه و كار بر روى پروژه*هاى مربوط به آب سنگين از جمله ساخت رآكتور تحقيقاتى است.

- تمام كشورها بايد اقدامات لازم را به منظور جلوگيرى از تامين، فروش و انتقال مستقيم يا غير مستقيم از خاك خود يا توسط افراد خود انجام دهند كه اين امر شامل تمام موضوعات از جمله مواد، تجهيزات، كالاها و تكنولوژي*هايى كه مي*تواند در خدمت برنامه*ى هسته*يى و موشكى بالستيك ايران قرار گيرد، باشد.

- تمام كشورها بايد سرمايه*ها و ديگر موارد اقتصادى را كه مي*تواند در خدمت برنامه*هاى هسته*يى ايران در موارد فوق قرار گيرد، مسدود كنند. اين توقف سرمايه*ها در مورد افراد و شركت*هايى كه از سوى شوراى امنيت مشخص شده*اند، صورت مي*گيرد و بنا بر تعريف شوراى امنيت آنها كسانى هستند كه با برنامه*هاى هسته*يى و يا سيستم*هاى "تسليحاتى هسته*يى" ايران در ارتباطند.

- از تمام كشورها خواسته شده است تا از آموزش ايراني*هاى كه در ارتباط با برنامه*هاى هسته*يى قرار دارند خوددارى كنند، اين امر چه در داخل خاك ايران و چه خارج از آن ممنوع است.

- تاكيد بر اين نكته كه اگر ايران فعاليت هسته*يي*اش را متوقف كند، اين امر مي*تواند به راه*حل ديپلماتيك و مذاكره براى تضمين دسترسى ايران به فن*آورى هسته*يى صلح*آميز بينجامد.

- از مدير كل آژانس بين*المللى انرژى اتمى خواسته شده تا در 60 روز درباره*ى اين كه آيا ايران به طور كامل امر تعليق و ديگر موارد ذكر شده در قطعنامه را اجرا كرده است به طور موازى به شوراى حكام و شوراى امنيت گزارش دهد.

- تاكيد بر اين نكته كه تمام تحريم*هاى قيد شده در اين قطعنامه بايد به محض اجراى الزامات قيد شده در قطعنامه و الزامات شوراى حكام از سوى ايران، برداشته شود.

- در صورتى كه ايران به مفاد قيد شده در قطعنامه عمل نكند، اقدامات بيشترى بر اساس بند 41 فصل 7 منشور سازمان ملل عليه ايران اعمال مي*شود و در صورتى كه چنين اقداماتى لازم باشد، بايد در* آينده در اين*باره تصميم گرفت.


واکنش رژيم اسلامی به تصويب قطعنامه شورای امنيت

در جلسه*ى روز شنبه شورای امنيت محمد جواد ظريف، نماينده*ى دايم رژيم اسلامی در سازمان ملل گفت:"امروز، روز غم انگيزى براى رژيم عدم اشاعه است."

محمدجواد ظريف، خطاب به شوراى امنيت گفت:"تنها چند روز قبل، نخست وزير رژيم اسراييل سلاحهاى هسته*يى اين رژيم را به رخ جهانيان كشيد، با اين وجود، شوراى امنيت نه تنها اين تهديد جدى عليه صلح و امنيت بين المللى و رژيم عدم اشاعه را مورد توجه قرار نداده و حتى در برابر آن خم به ابرو نياورد، بلكه به جاى آن تحريم*هايى را بر يك عضو معاهده منع اشاعه اعمال مي*نمايد."

وزارت خارجه رژيم با انتشار بيانيه ای قطعنامه شورای امنيت را در تحريم های ايران محکوم کرد و صدور قطعنامه را "اقدامى فرا قانونى و خارج از چهارچوب وظايف شورا و برخلاف مقررات صريح منشور ملل متحد" دانست.

اين بيانيه با اشاره به "برخورد ابزاری آمريکا و انگليس" با سازمان ملل تاکيد کرده است:"انجام اينگونه اقدامات سياسى وغيرحقوقى شوراى امنيت، نمي*تواند حقوق حقه و مسلم كشورها را محدود و يا در اجراء و اعمال آنها مانع*تراشى كند، بلكه صرفا بي*اعتبار شدن تصميمات شوراى امنيت را در پى خواهد داشت. "

وزارت خارجه رژيم همچنين مخالفت خود را با اجرای قطعنامه اعلام داشته و آورده است:"براى ملت ايران رويكرد دوگانه شوراى امنيت در قبال برنامه*ى هسته*يى ايران و زرادخانه*هاى تسليحات اتمى اسراييل قابل قبول نيست، بر همين اساس مردم ايران سرنوشت خود را به تصميمات بي*اعتبار شوراى امنيت نسپرده و پس از اين اقدام هم نخواهند سپرد."

حداد عادل رييس مجلس در آستانه تصويب قطعنامه گفت:"مجلس در صورت صدور قطعنامه عليه ايران در شوراى امنيت سازمان ملل متحد يا اتخاذ هر روش ديگرى غير از مذاكره، در نوع رابطه خود با آژانس بين*المللى انرژى اتمى تجديدنظر مي*كند." اما توضيحات بيشتری نداد.

علاالدين بروجردی عضو کميسيون خارجی مجلس نيز در اظهار نظری در اين باره گفت:"با توجه به اينكه هدف اعلام شده*ى بانيان قطعنامه توقف غني*سازى اورانيوم و روند فعاليت هاى فناورى هسته*اى در ايران اسلامى است، اين قطعنامه كمكى به اين هدف نمي*كند، بلكه موجب خواهد شد تا ايران با گامهاى استوارترى در اين جهت قدم بردارد."

[Rasputin]

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously voted to impose sanctions against Iran over its failure to halt uranium enrichment.
The sanctions ban the supply of nuclear-related technology and materials and impose an asset freeze on key individuals and companies.

The US representative warned that Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons would make it less, not more, secure.

Iran says its programme is for peaceful purposes and has vowed to continue.

If necessary, we will not hesitate to return to this body if Iran does not take further steps to comply

Acting US Ambassador to the UN, Alejandro Wolff


Reaction in quotes
The resolution demands that Tehran end all uranium enrichment work, which can produce fuel for nuclear plants as well as for bombs.

The vote by the 15-member council took place exactly two months after Britain, France and Germany first introduced a draft resolution proposing sanctions.

The draft resolution was amended several times after objections from both the Russians and Chinese.

But after parts of the resolution were watered down, both Russia and China - who have close financial ties with Iran - backed the proposals.

The resolution, under Chapter Seven of Article 41 of the UN Charter, makes enforcement obligatory but limits action to non-military measures.

But acting US ambassador to the UN, Alejandro Wolff, said the resolution sent a strong warning that there would be serious repercussions to Iran's continued defiance of the international community.

"If necessary, we will not hesitate to return to this body if Iran does not take further steps to comply," Mr Wolff said.

'Strong message'

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, condemned the resolution as illegal.

He told state-run television that the decision "cannot affect or limit Iran's peaceful nuclear activities but will discredit the decisions of the Security Council, whose power is deteriorating."

Hours before the vote, US President George W Bush spoke to Russia's Vladimir Putin and discussed the issue, agreeing on the importance of a unified stance.

HAVE YOUR SAY
Iran will continue enriching until the US or Israel takes military action

Jonathan, Chicago


Send us your comments

In a statement before the Security Council, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, emphasised that the resolution did not authorise the use of force.

But he said the sanctions sent a "strong message" to Iran about the need to comply with the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The text was watered down to take account of Russian concerns over such provisions as a freeze on the assets abroad of specific Iranian individuals and organisations.

Russia is building a nuclear power station in Iran and China has significant oil interests there.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to reconsider relations with those countries which support sanctions.

[Rasputin]

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 23 -- The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to restrict Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and to freeze the assets of 22 Iranian officials and institutions linked to the country's most controversial nuclear programs.

The council's action culminated more than three years of diplomatic efforts by the United States to have Iran sanctioned for expanding its enrichment of uranium. But Russia, a close commercial partner of Iran, stripped the resolution of some of its toughest measures, including a travel ban on officials linked to the nuclear programs.

The resolution demands that Iran immediately suspend its enrichment program and its reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel within 60 days or face additional U.N. penalties. It calls on Tehran to begin talks with the Security Council's five permanent powers and Germany to allay international suspicions that it may be pursuing nuclear weapons.

Although some critics suggested that the council resolution was too weak to compel Iran to change its behavior, the Bush administration, which favored tougher measures, said it was still pleased with the final version, saying it increases Iran's international isolation. Some U.S. officials said suppliers have already cut off Iran from shipments of sensitive nuclear equipment, partly as a result of U.S. pressure.

U.S. Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns called the vote "humiliating" for Iran.

He said the vote "would open the way for further action outside the Security Council" and added that the United States would continue to press Japan, European governments and international financial agencies to impose their own penalties on Iran.

"We don't want to put all our eggs in the U.N. basket," Burns said.

Javad Zarif, Iran's U.N. ambassador, denounced the council's "groundless punitive measures" and denied that his country had any intention of developing nuclear weapons. He said the council's failure to sanction Israel, whose prime minister inadvertently suggested this month that his country is a nuclear power, proves its bias against Iran.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told Iran's state-run television that the enrichment program will continue at a facility in Natanz, Reuters reported. The speaker of Iran's parliament, Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, warned that Iran would have to reconsider its relations with U.N. inspectors monitoring the country's nuclear activities.

Iran has the right under the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to produce nuclear energy as long as it forswears the pursuit of nuclear warheads. But in July, the Security Council, citing Iran's history of violating the pact, adopted a resolution that required Tehran to suspend nuclear enrichment and reprocessing by Aug. 31 or face sanctions. Iran refused to comply with the demand.

The United States says Iran has been secretly developing a nuclear weapons program for more than 18 years. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, maintains that a two-decade-long "policy of concealment" by Iran's nuclear scientists has helped fuel such suspicions. But it cannot prove that Iran has ever diverted nuclear fuel to a weapons program.

After Iran ignored the council's Aug. 31 deadline, Britain, France and Germany proposed a sweeping series of sanctions in October, including a travel ban on certain officials and a trade ban on materials used in most of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. But those measures drew intense resistance from China and Russia.

Moscow's U.N. envoy, Vitaly Churkin, argued that sanctions should be narrowly targeted at Iran's prohibited activities while allowing development of its nuclear energy industry, including an $800 million Russian nuclear power plant in Bushehr, Iran. The goal of the resolution, he said, should be focused on getting Iran to the negotiating table.

"I hope the reaction of Iran is going to be constructive in order to open the way for negotiations," Churkin said after Saturday's vote.

Senior Bush administration officials had expressed concern that Iran would use legal nuclear programs at Bushehr and other facilities as a cover to smuggle goods to an illicit weapons program. But the United States ultimately yielded to Russia after concluding it was better to have a weak resolution than none.

Saturday's resolution was designed to prevent Iran from obtaining access to sensitive nuclear equipment. It also sought to prevent Iranian scientists from carrying out foreign studies that could advance their country's ability to develop nuclear weapons.

The resolution will freeze the assets of 10 officials -- including the directors of Iran's main nuclear facilities and the commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian Air Force -- linked to the nuclear programs. The asset freeze also applies to 12 institutions, including Iran's Atomic Energy Agency. In response to Russian demands, the council dropped an Iranian state missile manufacturer, Aerospace Industries Organization, from the list. But three of the company's subsidiaries remain on it.

The resolution also calls for a ban on trade related to "nuclear missile delivery systems" and demands that Iran halt work on a heavy-water research reactor at Arak, 150 miles south of Tehran. Such facilities can be used in the production of weapons-grade plutonium.

Critics said the vote shows that Iran is proving impervious to Security Council pressure, particularly in light of the council's unwillingness to hit the oil-rich country with harsh sanctions, such as an oil embargo.

"I've always thought that the course the Bush administration is pursuing in the Security Council is a feckless one," said Flynt Leverett, a former CIA analyst who has advocated direct U.S. negotiations with Iran. "There is no way the permanent members of the council are going to agree to any sort of sanction that might actually have any chance" of changing Iran's behavior.

Leverett noted that several Arab governments, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, recently announced they would launch their own nuclear energy programs.

"They are hedging their bets" against Iran becoming the world's next nuclear power, he said.

[Rasputin]

The Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved sanctions intended to curb Iran’s nuclear program, capping months of negotiations over how severe and sweeping the restrictions should be.

The resolution, prepared by Germany and the Security Council’s five permanent members — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China — bans the import and export of materials and technology used in uranium enrichment, reprocessing and ballistic missiles.

Alejandro D. Wolff, the acting American ambassador to the United Nations, hailed the measure as an “unambiguous message that there are serious repercussions” for Iran’s pursuit of its nuclear ambitions. He added, however, that it was “only a first step,” saying, “If necessary, we will not hesitate to return to this body for further action if Iran fails to take steps to comply.”

The resolution, which mandates compliance but restricts punishment to nonmilitary measures, has been in the works since Iran flouted the Security Council’s call for a “full and sustained suspension” of nuclear activities by Aug. 31. It is weaker than proposals in earlier drafts, which started circulating in October, after repeated changes intended to placate Russia, which has strong economic ties with Iran. Throughout the process, Russia’s objections were often seconded by China.

Uranium enrichment is the first step in making fuel that can be used for nuclear power plants, or for nuclear weapons. Iran has maintained that it has the right to pursue its nuclear program, which it says is aimed at generating electricity.

Iran’s United Nations ambassador, Javad Zarif, greeted the resolution’s passage with a lengthy and critical address, saying that it “can only remind the Iranian people of the historical injustices this Security Council has done to them” and that the Council should focus its efforts instead on Israel, which he declared an “actual threat to international peace and security.”

The measure would freeze the assets of 12 Iranians and 10 companies said to be involved in nuclear and ballistic missile programs. It also would give a new committee the authority to amend the list later.

The final version of the text, however, qualifies the asset freeze in some respects, for example by giving countries more latitude to unfreeze certain assets than previous drafts would have allowed.

In an effort to maintain their sometimes fragile coalition, the Americans and Europeans also agreed to eliminate a mandatory travel ban on those people said to be involved in nuclear activities. While older drafts had mandated that all states “prevent entry” of such people, the final version of the resolution simply “calls upon” states to “exercise vigilance” over their borders.

In another nod to Russia, the resolution was amended to exclude any sanctions against a nuclear power plant that Russia is building at Bushehr, in southern Iran.

R. Nicholas Burns, the American under secretary of state for political affairs, said that the Security Council’s unanimous approval of the measure was “significant,” and that the “process of compromise that allowed us to reach this resolution was worth it in that respect.” He said he hoped that it would encourage other countries and organizations to adopt sanctions against Iran, and noted that harsher economic penalties could follow if Iran failed to halt its nuclear program within 60 days.

The Security Council was initially expected to approve the resolution on Friday, but as recently as Friday morning, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly I. Churkin, voiced concerns that the text threatened legitimate business deals.

Mr. Churkin maintained that the resolution was intended to prod Iran to negotiate, not to punish it. Several small 11th-hour revisions, however, allayed Moscow’s concerns, including the removal of one company, Aerospace Industries Organization, from the list of those involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program. Several of the company’s subsidiaries remain on the list.

“We believe that the resolution is written in a way which should not allow hindering legitimate activities,” Mr. Churkin said Saturday. “We’ll see what happens in the course of implementation.”

For years, some officials within the American government have pressed for the Security Council to adopt sanctions to halt Iran’s nuclear pursuits.

In June, the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany offered Iran a package of economic and political incentives to halt its nuclear program. The offer was rejected, setting the stage for the Aug. 31 deadline and, ultimately, the sanctions resolution.

The resolution’s European sponsors emphasized that they hoped it would inspire Iran to cooperate.

Emyr Jones Parry, Britain’s ambassador, said the “long, complicated, sensitive” negotiation had culminated in a “very tough message.”

Jean-Marc de la Sablière, the French ambassador, said: “Iran has now a very clear-cut choice to make. Cooperate with the international community or be more and more isolated. And we hope that Iran will make the right choice, the choice of dialogue.”

U.N. Approves Renovation Plan

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 23 (Reuters) — The General Assembly on Saturday approved a top-to-bottom renovation of its landmark Manhattan headquarters building that is expected to take seven years at a cost of $1.9 billion.

The main building is a 39-story aluminum, glass and marble tower that houses the United Nations Secretariat and is considered an outstanding example of modern architecture.

But after 54 years, its roof leaks, it is riddled with asbestos and it lacks fire detectors, a sprinkler system or other emergency safety devices.

Renovation was first envisioned in 2002, and the project was estimated then to end up costing about $1 billion. But the price tag has soared since then, mostly because of construction delays, improvements focused on security and a failed campaign to persuade the New York State Legislature to approve a new office building to provide temporary space for staff members.

The project is to be financed by increases in the dues paid by all the members of the United Nations on a sliding scale. That will put the poorest nations’ share at a little under $2 million each. The United States, which picks up the tab for 22 percent of the regular United Nations budget, will pay more than $400 million.

[Rasputin]

محمدرضا باهنر گفت: در مجموعه سياست*ها حركات تند و شتابزده را توجيه و توصيه نمي*كنيم. نايب رييس مجلس در جمع خبرنگاران با اشاره به جلسه غيرعلنى امروز مجلس با حضور وزير امور خارجه و هم*چنين بررسى طرح الزام دولت به تجديدنظر در همكارى با آژانس تصريح كرد: بررسى اين طرح ادامه دارد و تصور مي*كنيم با رأى بالايى كه نمايندگان به دو فوريت طرح دادند خود طرح نيز تصويب مي*شود و قاعدتا دولت نيز ملزم به اجراى آن است.

وى در پاسخ به اين*كه آيا بحث خروج از NPT در جلسه غيرعلنى امروز مطرح شد يا نه؟ خاطرنشان كرد: در مجموعه سياست*ها، حركات تند و شتابزده را توجيه و توصيه نمي*كنيم.

رييس فراكسيون اصولگرايان گفت: فكر مي*كنيم شيب تنظيم مناسبات ما با آژانس و شوراى امنيت سازمان ملل بايد شيب كند ولى هشداردهنده باشد.

[Rasputin]

Defiant Iran heading to industrial enrichment

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran has maintained its defiance of UN sanctions over its nuclear programme, declaring it was heading towards enriching uranium on an industrial scale and mulling a reduction of cooperation with the UN atomic watchdog.

The deputy foreign minister said Iran would announce a major step forwards towards industrial-scale enrichment of uranium to coincide with the celebrations for the 28th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in February.

"During this (Iranian) year's revolutionary celebrations, the first phase of nuclear fuel production to meet industrial needs will be launched," First Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostafavi said in Saudi Arabia, where he is attending the hajj pilgrimage, according to the official IRNA news agency on Tuesday.

His comments were an apparent reference to Iran's plan to install 3,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges by March next year, which would be a major step up from its current declared line-up of two 164-centrifuge cascades.

The UN Security Council on Saturday imposed its first ever sanctions on Iran over its failure to heed calls to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can be used both to make nuclear fuel or a nuclear bomb.

Meanwhile, the Iranian parliament held the first session of debate on a bill that would require the government to reduce its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog in retaliation for the sanctions move.

The latest text of the bill says that Iran must "revise its cooperation" with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a formulation that leaves the government a free hand to cut cooperation as it feels best.

This could involve limiting UN inspections of its atomic sites, a move that has been urged by several lawmakers. However it is highly improbable that the government would pull out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

It is almost certain the bill will be passed by the conservative-dominated parliament and then approved by the hardline Guardians Council vetting body to become law.

It remains unclear how close Iran is to installing the 3,000 centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant in the central town of Natanz.

The completion of such an installation would be a major act of defiance towards the West, which fears the technology could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Iran insists its nuclear drive is aimed solely at generating energy for a growing population.

MP Ali Asgari said Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had told a closed session of parliament that "Iran has prepared the putting into service of 3,000 centrifuges and this piece of news will soon be announced publicly", the Fars and Mehr news agencies reported.

The deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Mohammad Saeedi said the new centrifuges would be put into operation in line with a programme announced to the IAEA.

"We need to wait for the right moment to announce it. The judicial and legal process has to be completed so that it is easier to make the announcement," he told the parliament session, according to Iranian media.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly predicted in recent weeks that Iran will mark its "nuclearisation" during the celebrations for the 28th anniversary of the revolution in February.

After weeks of diplomatic wrangling, the UN Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution which imposes restrictions on Iran's nuclear industry and ballistic missile programme.

Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh said Iran would be prepared to use "any weapon" in the standoff over its nuclear programme but assured world markets it had no intention of cutting off its oil exports.

"The country will use any weapon if necessary to defend itself," he was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying.

"But other countries should not be concerned about Iran cutting off its oil exports to the world market since we are currently signing new deals and there are also ongoing transactions," he added.

Iran is the world's fourth largest oil producer and the second largest in the OPEC cartel.

[Rasputin]

كاخ سفيد به ايران هشدار داد ,سير قهقرايى, عدم همكارى با آژانس بين المللى انرژى اتمى وضعيت اين كشور را در جامعه بين المللى وخيم تر خواهد كرد.

به گزارش خبرگزارى فرانسه، اسكات استنزل، سخنگوى كاخ سفيد روز پنج شنبه از ايران خواست فوراً خواسته شوراى امنيت سازمان ملل مبنى بر تعليق غنى سازى اورانيوم را اجرا كند.
وى اظهار داشت:,ايران مدتها از پيمان منع گسترش تسليحات اتمى و پادمان هاى امنيتى الزامى آژانس تخطى كرده است.,
وى كه در كرافورد تگزاس همراه با جورج بوش تعطيلات آخر سال ميلادى را مى گذراند، اضافه كرد عدم همكارى بيشتر ايران وضعيت آن را در نظر جهان وخيم*تر خواهد كرد و منجر به صدور گزارش هاى بيشتر درباره اين عدم همكارى از سوى آژانس بين المللى انرژى اتمى مى شود.
استنز افزود:,نمى توان پذيرفت كه اين سير قهقرايى در جهت منافع مردم ايران باشد. بنابراين اميدواريم حكومت ايران دست از تهديد و مواجهه بردارد و فوراً همكارى خود را با كليه الزامات تعيين شده از سوى شوراى امنيت آغاز كند.,
اظهارات سخنگوى كاخ سفيد تكرار موضعگيرى وزرات امورخارجه آمريكاست كه پيشتر اعلام كرده بود كاهش همكارى ناكافى ايران با آژانس بين المللى انرژى اتمى باعث خواهد شد اين آژانس گزارش هاى ديگرى درباره عدم همكارى ايران صادر كند.
مجلس ايران روز گذشته در واكنش به صدور قطعنامه شوراى امنيت عليه ايران، لايحه*اى را درباره بازنگرى دولت در نحوه همكارى با آژانس بين المللى انرژى اتمى به تصويب رساند.