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    Iran Sanctions Decision Delayed
    BBC News

    Friday 28 September 2007

    The world's major powers will delay until November a decision on whether to impose tougher sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.

    The five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany said they would wait until they saw reports from the UN and EU before drafting a resolution.

    Tehran denies Western accusations that it is trying to build a nuclear weapon.

    On Tuesday, Iran's president said the sanctions were "illegal" in a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.

    Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the debate over his country's nuclear programme was "closed" and that the issue was now in the hands of the UN's nuclear watchdog.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently reached agreement with Tehran on a "work plan" to resolve outstanding questions about its nuclear activities.

    "Compromise"

    In the joint statement issued after meeting in New York, the representatives of the six countries - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany - welcomed the IAEA's agreement with Iran.

    "We call upon Iran, however, 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 statement said.

    The powers said they continued to be seriously concerned by the programme, but that they would delay any resolution until they received reports by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

    "We agree to finalise a text for a third UN Security Council sanctions resolution... with the intention of bringing it to a vote in the UN Security Council unless the November reports of Dr Solana and Dr ElBaradei show a positive outcome of their efforts," the statement said.

    The ministers said they had also asked Mr Solana to meet Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, "to lay the foundation for future negotiations".

    Afterwards, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the meeting had been split between those countries pushing for negotiations and those wanting immediate sanctions.

    "There is a compromise, but a good compromise," he said. "We are still working on sanctions."

    The Iranian foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, earlier insisted tougher sanctions would not change his country's nuclear programme.

    "Sanctions as a political tool for exerting pressure are ineffective in making Iran change its basically rational policy choice," he told the Asia Society in New York.