Sanctions better than nothing
Only future developments will tell whether Iran sanctions signal change
The severe labor pains that accompanied the watered down resolution do not bode well with those seeking to impose heavy pressure on Iran in a bid to discourage it from continuing its nuclear program.
It is also unclear whether further penalties - hinted at in the resolution should Iran remain defiant - would in fact be supported by members of the Security Council. Past experience has shown that the pace at which the world is operating lags far behind the progress of Iran's nuclear program.
Nonetheless, the resolution presents a significant signal to the Iranian leadership, and particularly to President Ahmadinejad.
The handing over of the issue from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the Security Council at the beginning of the year comprised the first step. In addition, it should also be noted that a decision to impose sanctions by the Security Council is not a common occurrence.
Therefore, the sanctions themselves and the fact that Russia, despite its efforts to water down the resolution ultimately, gave the green light, carries more than a hint to Iran - because after all there are red lines it will try to prevent Iran from crossing.
These sanctions are also likely to be instrumental in slowing down Iran's nuclear program. Meanwhile, the Security Council will continue to monitor developments with the option of imposing harsher penalties.
This isn't much, but it's more than we have seen thus far and more than Iran expected.
Iranian public resentment
The resolution was passed a week after the elections for the local councils and for the "Assembly of Experts", where the president's opponents - the less radical reformists sand conservatives - won by significant margin.
Above all, the elections reflected the public resentment of the president's focus on foreign policies rather than on internal matters.
The recent sanctions and the local elections are not earth-shattering developments, but they do present a warning sign to Ahmadinejad. Only future developments will tell whether these signs are indicative of a more significant change in Iran's internal, foreign and nuclear affairs.
The writer is a professor at the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at the Tel Aviv University, with specialization in the history and politics of Iran.
