Iran Focus: London, Mar. 25 – The following is a joint statement issued on Saturday by the foreign ministers of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, with the support of the High Representative of the European Union, following the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747 imposing further economic sanctions on Iran over its suspected nuclear weapons pursuit:
Big powers statement on UN Security Council Resolution 1747
Diversion tactic by a nuclear menace
Daily Telegraph – Analysis: It’s a typical Iranian tactic. The moment Teheran finds itself in a tight corner it pulls off a stunt designed to divert the world’s attention away from the issue that is causing it difficulty.
U.N. approves tougher sanctions on Iran
AP: The U.N. Security Council unanimously voted Saturday to impose additional sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium – a move intended to show Tehran that defiance will leave it increasingly isolated.
Security Council votes to tighten Iran sanctions
New York Times: The United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed Saturday to impose new, more stringent sanctions to press Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and rejoin negotiations over its nuclear program.
Iran to try Britons for espionage
Sunday Times: Fifteen British sailors and marines arrested by Irans Revolutionary Guards off the coast of Iraq may be charged with spying.
Keep up the pressure
Sunday Times – Leading Article: Irans brinkmanship has entered a new and potentially dangerous phase. The 15 Royal Navy personnel captured on Friday were moved to Tehran yesterday, presumably for propaganda purposes. So far, calls for their safe return by Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, have fallen on deaf ears, as have her demands for a full explanation from Tehran.
Iran rejects U.N. vote on arms, financial sanctions
Reuters: Iran rejected a repeated demand by the U.N. Security Council to suspend uranium enrichment work after the 15-nation body imposed arms and financial sanctions on Tehran.
UK envoy seeks access to detained sailors in Iran
Reuters: The British envoy to Tehran on Sunday requested access to 15 detained British naval personnel who Iran says entered Iranian waters illegally despite Britain’s insistence they were in Iraqi territory, a diplomat said.
President snubs UN vote on sanctions
Sunday Telegraph: The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, last night snubbed the United Nations Security Council vote on tighter sanctions against his country, accusing the US of making it impossible for him to attend, writes Gethin Chamberlain.
U.N. Council imposes sanctions on Iran
Reuters: The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose new sanctions on Iran for its nuclear ambitions by targeting Tehran’s arms exports, state-owned bank and elite Revolutionary Guards. Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki immediately rejected the council’s demand to suspend uranium enrichment, which can be used for making bombs and to general electricity.
