Iran
Expected Council Action
The Council is expected to receive a briefing from the chair of the sanctions committee on Iran in June. The chair typically briefs the Council every 90 days.
The mandate of the panel of experts that assists the Iran sanctions committee expires on 9 June. The Council is expected to extend the panel’s mandate.
Key Recent Developments
A new IAEA report on Iran’s implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement and relevant Council resolutions is expected before the briefing in June. The last IAEA report, on 25 February, said that the agency was continuing to evaluate the amount of enriched nuclear material produced by Iran. (An IAEA inventory in October 2010, when taken together with Iran’s estimate of material produced through February, indicates that Iran may have produced 3,606 kilograms of low enriched uranium [LEU] and 43.6 kilograms of uranium enriched to 20 per cent.)
The IAEA report is likely to conclude that Iran is not implementing a number of its obligations, including:
- implementation of the provisions of the Additional Protocol (under the terms of the Additional Protocol, the IAEA is granted expanded rights of access to information and sites to address concerns about nuclear activities);
- suspension of enrichment-related activities; and
- clarification of possible military dimensions to its nuclear programme.
The chair of the Iran sanctions committee, Ambassador Néstor Osorio of Colombia, last briefed the Council on 22 March. He reported that the committee had received two reports from member states regarding separate possible sanctions violations involving Iran’s procuring items that could be used in enrichment-related activities or for the development of nuclear-weapon delivery systems. He said the number of reported sanctions violations is a matter of serious concern, but the willingness of member states to report violations is positive and should be encouraged. Osorio also said that on 4 March the committee was briefed by the coordinator of the panel of experts. The panel had begun its activities by discussing its programme of work, investigating a reported violation of the arms embargo and conducting an assessment of member state implementation reports.
The panel of experts submitted a report to the Council in mid-May. The document, which was leaked to media outlets, reportedly says Iran has violated the sanctions regime by repeatedly engaging in multiple banned transfers of conventional arms to Syria. It appears Russia is blocking publication of the experts report at this time. (Iran was also mentioned in the context of the May report by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) panel of experts, which apparently raised the possibility that the DPRK and Iran have also been transporting items prohibited by that sanctions regime. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has denied this.)
On the question of the Iranian nuclear programme, a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on 11 May that the EU had received a letter from Iran indicating openness to further discussions, but that it contained no change in position that would justify another meeting between Iran and the E3+3. (The E3+3 is comprised of China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the US. A January E3+3 meeting with Iran in Istanbul was viewed as disappointing by the group.)
On 23 May the EU expanded the assets freeze it imposed against some individuals in Iran and on 24 May the US announced that it would sanction seven international firms for violating its sanctions law on Iran. US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said that economic measures against Iran should continue in order to prompt a change in its behaviour with regard to its nuclear programme.
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Human Rights-Related Developments |
Key Issues
The key issue is whether the mandate of the panel of experts should be renewed.
Another issue is whether Council members might want to take up the question of engagement in substantive talks on the nuclear programme and compliance with Council sanctions regimes.
Options
Options for the Council include:
- a simple technical renewal of the committee’s panel of experts for another year;
- including an expression of concern over Iran’s continuing disregard of previous Council decisions;
- requesting the committee to designate additional individuals or entities as subject to the sanctions currently in place; or
- encouraging Iran and the E3+3 to find common ground on substantive talks as a matter of urgency.
Council and Broader Dynamics
Most Council members appear to view the work of the panel of experts positively. There seems to be wide support for extending the mandate of the panel in June.
Although most Council members remain concerned about the continued development of Iran’s nuclear programme, there seems to be little appetite for opening new negotiations on the imposition of additional Council sanctions at this time. However, the recent additional economic measures imposed by the EU and the US seem to demonstrate a continuing determination.
Most members are also very concerned about Iran’s compliance with sanctions resolutions imposed by the Council. It is unclear at present exactly what reservations Russia has about the experts report. There seems to be a feeling among Council members that no significant role for the Council is politically feasible at present.
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Selected Council Resolutions |
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Selected Meeting Record |
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Latest IAEA Report |
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Sanctions Committee Chairman |
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Ambassador Néstor Osorio (Colombia) |
Charles D. Ferguson, “Steps Toward a Deal on Enhanced Safeguards for Iran’s Nuclear Program“, Arms Control Today, March 2011
