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Russia today denounced new Iran penalties adopted independently by the European Union this week as part of a campaign to curb atomic activities in the Middle Eastern state that could support nuclear bomb development, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, July 26).
Russia joined Western powers last month in backing the adoption of a fourth U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution against Iran, but Moscow has since condemned punitive measures implemented unilaterally by Washington and other governments. Tehran has insisted its nuclear program is strictly peaceful.
"We have already said many times that we consider unacceptable the practice of unilateral or collective sanctions measures against Iran, that go beyond the Security Council sanctions regime in action in the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The EU measures demonstrated "disregard for the carefully regulated and coordinated provisions of the U.N. Security Council," the Foreign Ministry said.
Moscow "categorically rejects" efforts to target firms in third-party nations that are "conscientiously carrying out the demands of U.N. Security Council resolutions," the office added.
By pursuing independent penalties against Iran, Washington and Brussels "are showing their contempt for the principles of joint work," the Foreign Ministry added (Agence France-Presse I/Spacewar.com, July 27).
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton commended yesterday's the bloc's passage of sanctions, the Los Angeles Times reported. The penalties sent "a powerful message to Iran," she said. "That message is their nuclear program is a cause of serious and growing concern" (Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times, July 26).
The measures took effect upon their publication today in the official EU Journal, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported. The sanctions are expected to freeze assets belonging to 10 financial groups, six aerospace firms, 24 affiliates of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines,and Iran's Revolutionary Guard. They include travel bans on a number of high-level Iranian officials (Deutsche Presse-Agentur/Earth Times, July 27).
European firms are barred under the penalties from providing funds or technology to firms linked to Iran's energy sector, an area requiring investment and infrastructure enhancements, the Times quoted experts as saying. The sanctions also limit what business firms in the 27-nation bloc can conduct with Iran's transit, insurance and financial industries. The measures prohibit dealings with companies firms thought to have connections to Iran's nuclear or missile work or its Revolutionary Guard.
Legislators, lobbyists and attorneys are expected to continue refining aspects of the penalties in coming weeks, the Times reported (Daragahi, Los Angeles Times).
Iran today declared it "deeply regrets and condemns" the measures, AFP reported.
"These sanctions will not help in resuming talks and will not affect Iran's determination to defend its legitimate right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said (Hiedeh Farmani, Agence France-Presse II/Yahoo!News, July 27).
Washington expressed support for the EU penalties as well as a separate set of unilateral measures announced yesterday by Canada.
"The United States welcomes the strong steps taken by our European and Canadian partners to implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a joint statement, referring to the Iran sanctions resolution adopted last month.
"These measures, combined with the new and existing U.S. sanctions, underscore the international community’s deepening concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and refusal to live up to its international responsibilities. We have already begun to see the impact of these sanctions, as companies around the world refuse to do business with Iran rather than risk becoming involved in Iran’s nuclear program and other illicit activities," they added in the statement (U.S. State Department release, July 26).
A shipping record says Iran has only received three gasoline deliveries from other countries so far this month, a possible reflection of tightening sanctions on the country, Reuters reported yesterday. In the past, Iran has received 11-13 monthly gasoline shipments when driving picked up during the summer.
The shipments were provided by the Turkish firm Tupras and China's Unipec, the document indicates. Venezuela is expected to provide one additional shipment, said two merchants in the region who were not aware of any further deliveries.
"The new rounds of sanctions are making things hard right now, and many ships are being diverted, so Iran is only getting a fraction of its actual summer demand," one merchant said.
"Owners of ships are really worried right now about sending shipments to Iran and that's why Iran is looking for alternative companies and countries to import from," another added (Bakr/Pachymuthu, Reuters I, July 26).
Turkey, though, indicated it has no plans to curb its economic ties with Iran beyond Security Council mandates, the Financial Times reported Sunday.
“We will fully implement U.N. resolutions but when it comes to individual countries’ demands for extra sanctions we do not have to,” Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said.
“The facilitation of trade that is not prohibited under [a] U.N. resolution should and will continue,” Simsek said.
If a trade agreement requires funding, the official said, “we will have to find a way to pay for it” (Khalaf/Strauss, Financial Times, July 25).
British Prime Minister David Cameron today urged Turkey to help resolve the nuclear dispute, the Associated Press reported. "We need Turkey's help in making it clear to Iran just how serious we are about engaging fully with the international community," he said (Suzan Fraser, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, July 27).
Meanwhile, Iran yesterday reaffirmed its willingness to join new talks on a plan developed in May for exchanging Iranian uranium, Reuters reported. The plan -- negotiated by Iran, Brazil and Turkey -- calls for Iran to store 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium in Turkey for one year; other countries would be expected within that period to provide nuclear material refined for use at a Tehran medical research reactor in exchange for the Iranian material.
The arrangement appeared similar to another proposal, formulated in October by the International Atomic Energy Agency, that was intended to defer the Middle Eastern state's enrichment activities long enough to more fully address U.S. and European concerns about its potential nuclear bomb-making capability. Tehran ultimately rejected the IAEA proposal worked out with France, Russia and the United States. Those nations, known as the "Vienna group," subsequently expressed concerns about the later agreement.
"The clear message of" a letter submitted by Tehran to the International Atomic Energy Agency yesterday "was Iran's complete readiness to hold negotiations over the fuel for the Tehran reactor without any conditions," Iranian Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Ali Asghar Soltanieh said, according to state media (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters II, July 26).
EU foreign policy chief Ashton received the Iran's openness to new talks with cautious optimism. "As far as I can see this is to be welcomed ... but we need to study the details," she said (Reuters III, July 26).
Diplomats in Vienna were reviewing the document yesterday, the Times reported (Daragahi, Los Angeles Times).
Iran would join separate negotiations over its nuclear program in September, AFP quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
"Iran will resume nuclear talks with the West in September," the Iranian president said, according to state media. "Iran wants Turkey and Brazil to participate in the negotiations," he added (Agence France-Presse III/Spacewar.com, July 27).
Ahmadinejad last weekend condemned a statement, issued earlier this month by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, that Iran was closing on a capabilities that could enable the country to build nuclear weapons, Reuters reported. Medvedev's remark was "the announcement of a propaganda play, planned to be staged against us by America," Ahmadinejad said.
Moscow yesterday lashed back at Tehran, calling its attacks on Medvedev "unacceptable" and "fruitless, irresponsible rhetoric" (Dmitry Solovyov, Reuters IV, July 26).
Elsewhere, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano dismissed a suggestion Saturday that he has adopted a more forceful posture against Iran than Mohamed ElBaradei, the agency's previous top official, AFP reported.
"I am against the politicization of the agency," Amano told Radio France Internationale.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog ""is an institution dealing with technical activities that involve political aspects," he said. "It is not about being more or less conciliatory" toward Tehran (Agence France-Presse IV/Spacewar.com, July 24).
Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant is slated for completion before the end of next month, RIA Novosti quoted Russian atomic energy chief Sergei Kiriyenko as saying today (Agence France-Presse V/Spacewar.com, July 27).