UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council received on Saturday a report by the UN nuclear watchdog confirming Iran fulfilled commitments under a nuclear deal with world powers, triggering an automatic end to most UN sanctions, diplomats said.
The receipt of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report by the 15-member council terminates seven previous UN resolutions, which are now replaced by a resolution adopted on July 20 that carries over some UN restrictions.
In a note to council members, seen by Reuters, Uruguay’s UN Ambassador Elbio Rosselli, council president for January, circulated the report to members on Saturday evening.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal.
“This achievement demonstrates that international proliferation concerns are best addressed through dialogue and patient diplomacy,” Ban’s spokesman said in a statement.
Under the July 20 resolution, Iran is now “called upon” to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to eight years. Critics of the deal say the language does not make it obligatory.
The resolution allows for supply of ballistic missile technology and heavy weapons, such as tanks and attack helicopters, to Iran with Security Council approval, but the United States has pledged to veto any such requests.
The restrictions on ballistic missile technology are in place for eight years and on heavy weapons for five years. An arms embargo stopping Iran from buying or selling weapons remains in place for up to five years.
The resolution places restrictions on transferring nuclear technology to Iran for peaceful purposes for a decade.
It allows all UN sanctions to be re-imposed if Iran breaches the deal in the next 10 years. If the Security Council receives a complaint of a breach it would then need to vote within 30 days on a resolution to extend sanctions relief.
If the council fails to vote on a resolution, the sanctions would be automatically re-imposed. This procedure prevents any of the veto powers which negotiated the accord, such as Russia and China, from blocking any snap-back of Iran sanctions.
All the provisions and measures of the UN resolution would terminate in a decade if the nuclear deal is adhered to.
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