UN Security Council
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U.S.: Iran dispute test for U.N.
Iranian threat should be addressed urgently but cautiously, American U.N. envoy says
The United States views Iran's disputed nuclear weapons program as a test for the U.N. Security Council that should be addressed urgently but in a cautious and deliberate manner, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said.
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - are scheduled to hold their second closed-door meeting Friday to discuss a proposed statement to respond to the Iranian nuclear crisis, which the Americans hope could be adopted next week.
"We are going to press for as vigorous a response in the council as we can get, and hope that that gets the Iranians' attentions," Bolton said. "This is a test for the council. And if the Iranians do not back off from their continued aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons, we will have to make a decision of what the next step will be." Bolton and other senior U.S. Officials suggested Thursday that if the Security Council does not take tough action, the United States might look elsewhere to punish Iran - possibly by rallying its allies to impose targeted sanctions.
"We're confronted with a threat here as Iran pursues not only nuclear weapons, but the capability through increasingly longer-range and more accurate ballistic missiles ... That is obviously very, very dangerous," He said. "So we have a responsibility in the council to try and deal with that threat."
Security Council members have indicated they will move slowly, focusing initially on a presidential statement that will likely ask Iran to comply with demands by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. It triggered council action by sending a Feb. 27 report on Iran's activities to the council.
At a Senate hearing on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suggested that the international community could impose visa restrictions and an asset freeze. She said that investors may take "a second look at whether investments in Iran are really a good idea under the circumstances."
