By Country / Iran
Iran's Nuclear Program Referred To UN
March 09, 2006
March 8, 2006 -- The United Nations Security Council will take up the case of Iran's nuclear program.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohammad el-Baradei said his report on Iran will be forwarded to the Security Council which will use it to determine what action if any should be taken against Iran, including sanctions.
That report accuses Iran of withholding information, possessing plans linked to nuclear weapons and refusing to freeze uranium enrichment.
El-Baradei released the report on the third and final day of an IAEA meeting in Vienna on Iran's nuclear program.
El-Baradei said he was still optimistic the standoff could be resolved through negotiations.
"I am still optimistic because I think, sooner or later, all the parties will realize that there is no other option but to go back to negotiation, that Iran will understand that they need to be transparent," he said. "If they want to restore the confidence of the international community, they need to take confidence-building measures."
An Iranian national security official, Javad Vaeedi, warned the United States that Iran could inflict "harm and pain" to match whatever punishment Washington persuades the Security Council to mete out.
U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said Washington plans "a concerted approach" in the Security Council that "gradually escalates pressure on Iran."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said sanctions against Iran would not work and that the standoff could not be resolved militarily.
The Security Council debate over Iran may start as early as next week.