UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to impose sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology, an effort to stop enrichment work that could be used in bombs.
"Today we are placing Iran in the small category of states under Security Council sanctions," acting U.S. Ambassador Alejandro Wolff told the council before Saturday's 15-0 vote, which followed two months of tough negotiations.
Iran, which refused to end its uranium enrichment work in exchange for economic incentives earlier this year, immediately condemned the resolution as illegal and said it would not affect its "peaceful" nuclear programme.
China immediately called for a resumption of talks to attempt to defuse the confrontation.
A Foreign Ministry statement on Sunday said that, while Beijing backed the U.N. resolution to punish Tehran, it did not think sanctions would bring a permanent solution to the problem.
"The Chinese side calls on all sides to continue all-out diplomatic efforts to push for an early resumption of talks and seek a long-term, comprehensive solution," it said.
The resolution demands Iran end all research on uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for nuclear power plants as well as for bombs, and halt all research and development on methods of producing or delivering atomic weapons.
The thrust of the sanctions is a ban on imports and exports of dangerous materials and technology relating to uranium enrichment, reprocessing and heavy-water reactors, as well as ballistic missile delivery systems.
LESS RESTRICTIVE
The measure is less restrictive than the original draft, drawn up by Britain, France and Germany, due to Russian objections. A ban on Iran's oil exports was not considered.
In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told state-run television the resolution "cannot affect or limit Iran's peaceful nuclear activities but will discredit the decisions of the Security Council".
He said Iran would continue to install 3,000 centrifuge units at Natanz, the site of a uranium enrichment plant.
Tehran's U.N. ambassador, Javard Zarif, accused the Security Council and the United States of a double standard by punishing Iran while ignoring Israel's nuclear arsenal.
"Iran has simply thumbed its nose at the council and defied international law," British U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry told the council, adding that he remained committed to resolve the dispute through negotiations.
While Britain, France and Germany, sponsors of the resolution, urged Iran to return to negotiations, the United States sought tougher measures, such as an end to credits for Iran and a halt to arms sales. It urged the Europeans, Russia and China to do the same.
WASHINGTON WANTS MORE
"We don't think this resolution is enough in itself," Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said in a teleconference with reporters. "We'd like to see countries stop doing business as usual with Iran."
The resolution is under Chapter 7, Article 41 of the U.N. Charter, which makes enforcement mandatory but restricts action to non-military measures, and Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin emphasised this point.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose government had hesitated over supporting the resolution and succeeded in watering down parts of it, called U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday after reviewing the measure until the last minute.
Russia, which is building an $800 million light-water reactor for Tehran that is exempted in the resolution, has tried to maintain close ties with Iran but is also concerned about any bomb-building intentions Iran may have.
"Russia views this resolution as a serious message being sent to Iran regarding the need to more openly and accurately cooperate with the IAEA to lift or resolve the remaining concerns and questions relating to the nuclear programme," Churkin told the Council.
INDIVIDUAL ASSETS
The resolution includes a freeze on financial assets abroad of 12 individuals and 10 organisations from Iran associated with nuclear programmes to prevent them from buying dangerous materials. The list is attached to the resolution.
But there are numerous qualifications, including exempting contracts made prior to the adoption of the resolution.
At the last moment, Russia succeeded in deleting Iran's Aerospace Industries Organisation, which produces missiles, but left three of its subsidiaries on the list.
Russia was also successful in scrapping a mandatory travel ban. Instead, the resolution now calls on states to notify a Security Council sanctions committee if any of the individuals on the list are in their countries.
The bans would be suspended if Iran suspends its enrichment work and rejoins negotiations. They would be lifted if Iran fully complies with Security Council resolutions and directives from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the United State offered Tehran a package of economic incentives and political rewards in June if it agreed to consider a long-term moratorium on enrichment.
But Iran refused, saying negotiations to date had led nowhere. The Security Council gave Iran an Aug. 31 deadline to suspend the enrichment work and resume negotiations.
By Evelyn Leopold and Irwin Arieff