U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and other council members hope for a vote next week, although the text can still be changed. Diplomats said the United States may still have amendments.
The draft calls on Iran to comply with resolutions enacted by the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency and demands Iran “suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development.”
If Iran does not comply by Aug. 31, the council would consider adopting “appropriate measures” under Article 41 of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which pertains to economic sanctions, says the draft.
It was distributed by France’s U.N. ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, the current Security Council president.
The measure was negotiated over the past two weeks by Germany and the five Security Council members with veto power — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.
But diplomats said Washington may request further changes.
To Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, the draft did not threaten sanctions but agreed to “discuss” further measures if Iran did not adhere to the resolution’s demands.
But Bolton emphasized that the text imposed a “mandatory and binding requirement” for Iran to comply with IAEA demands and if Iran did not comply “we will move to sanctions in the Security Council.”
Tehran has vigorously objected to the resolution and says its nuclear activities are to produce electrical power only. It has also indicated it might withdraw from the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the resolution were adopted.
At a July 12 meeting in Paris, all six countries agreed Iran had given no indication it would accept a commercial and technological incentive package offered by the major powers if it ceased its nuclear work, and referred the issue back to the Security Council.
Iran is building a heavy-water nuclear reactor at Arak, 190 km southwest of Tehran. Western nations are concerned the plant’s plutonium by-product could be used to produce nuclear warheads.
