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Big Powers defer decision on Iran sanctions

DUBAI: The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany have agreed to defer a decision on imposing fresh sanctions on Iran by two months.

The Security Council will now wait for reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Union (E.U.) on Iran before considering fresh sanctions. A joint statement by the six countries urged Iran “to produce tangible results rapidly and effectively by clarifying all outstanding issues and concerns on Iran’s nuclear programme, including topics which could have a military nuclear dimension.”

The foreign policy head of the E.U., Javier Solana is expected to shortly meet Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani “to lay the foundation for future negotiations”.

“We agree to finalise a text for a third U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution... with the intention of bringing it to a vote in the U.N. Security Council unless the November reports of Mr. Solana and Dr ElBaradei show a positive outcome of their efforts,” the statement issued at New York added.

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