United Nations: The UN Security Council unanimously approved a new resolution reaffirming previous sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment program and offering Tehran incentives to do so.

The speedy vote followed a compromise between the United States and Russia to lead a new council effort to condemn Iran s nuclear program, without introducing any new sanctions.

The brief resolution reaffirmed the three earlier Security Council sanctions resolutions, which imposed progressively tougher sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment program.

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the council had restated its call for Iran to comply with the resolutions and cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"It is unacceptable for Iran to defy the security council resolutions," Khalilzad said.

Iran s mission to the United Nations immediately condemned the resolution as "unwarranted and unconstructive," and said Iran remained determined to exercise "its inalienable right for peaceful uses of nuclear technology."

Council members met behind closed doors yesterday to hammer out the draft resolution.

The resolution was designed to send a signal that "our resolve has not weakened on this issue, that the discussions among our political directors about the next steps remain very much there," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said.

Even envoys from countries that abstained in votes on the past resolutions said they supported the measure.
Source : PTI