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Analysis: A Pause for Thought on Iran Sanctions

Council on Foreign Relations

September 28, 2007
Prepared by: Robert McMahon

Contrary to the assertions of Iran's president, the Iran nuclear file remains open in the UN Security Council. But Tehran has gained a couple months of breathing room. On September 28, foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany agreed to defer action (BBC) on new sanctions against Iran until the council receives reports in November by UN nuclear agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. The decision marked a compromise between negotiators divided over whether to press ahead with immediate sanctions for Iran's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment program.

Germany, for one, has been at odds with France’s proposal for European Union sanctions against Iran if there is no agreement in New York. Germany’s Spiegel magazine says German officials are poised to raise concerns that U.S. and French companies continue to benefit from trade with Iran even while both countries press other states to cut off ties. The Bush administration, sensitive to ruptures in the Western coalition against Iran, was opposed (FT) to moves this week by its own Congress to punish energy firms, including European ones, doing business with Iran.

Veto-wielding Security Council members Russia and China, meanwhile, are not inclined to move quickly on new sanctions because of a work plan reached between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) aimed at clearing up issues related to Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. and European officials have grudgingly accepted the deal.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.