[Washington Post] Robin Wright and Colum Lynch - The UN imposed new sanctions on Iran Monday, capping a year of difficult diplomacy that may represent the Bush administration's final bid to mobilize international action against Tehran over its controversial nuclear program. The White House had to settle for a watered-down UN resolution that makes most trade and financial sanctions voluntary. U.S. diplomacy was undercut by China's growing oil trade with Iran, Russia's ties to Tehran's nuclear energy program, and skepticism among four developing countries on the council about the need for yet another UN resolution. But Washington's own National Intelligence Estimate in December - which concluded with "high confidence" that Iran had shelved its nuclear weapons program in 2003 - did more than anything else to undermine the prospects for a hard-hitting resolution.
2008-03-04 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive