New Momentum for Iran Sanctions

Now that Mohamed ElBaradei is no longer the Muslim in charge of inspecting muslim interests in nuclear weapons , maybe we will see a little change at the U.N security council .
Being that the IAEA never allowed the proper evidence or reports to be used as evidence against Iran , maybe China will come online with everyone else .
But that is a big maybe .



The Wall Street Journal
VIENNA—The new head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran isn't cooperating with U.N. inspectors, and Russia appeared to move closer to supporting sanctions, adding momentum to efforts at the U.N. Security Council to pressure Tehran to rein in its nuclear program.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano, speaking to reporters at his first scheduled news conference since he took the post in December, defended his agency's impartiality in a Feb. 18 report that said Iran may be working on a missile capable of carrying a nuclear payload.

Yukiya Amano defended his agency's impartiality in a Feb 18. report saying Iran may be working on a missile capable of delivering a nuclear payload.
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The IAEA board of governors, which is meeting this week, is expected to recommend that the report be forwarded to the Security Council for consideration during discussions on possible sanctions.

The report and Mr. Amano's speech Monday represent a shift from the less-confrontational stance of Mr. Amano's predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei, who led the agency for 12 years.

Mr. Amano said Iran is cooperating with the mandate of the IAEA to make sure no known sources of uranium are being diverted for military use. But he said there is much that Iran keeps off limits to inspectors charged with verifying whether its nuclear program is peaceful or military in nature.

The Feb. 18 report listed questions of "concern" that prevent the IAEA from declaring Iran's nuclear program to be peaceful, as Tehran claims. On Monday, Mr. Amano said the report was based on an impartial analysis of credible information from multiple sources.

Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh said the findings in the report were "unjustified."

U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies said the report presents a "factual" list of the IAEA's concerns and will "help focus Security Council Members on how far Iran has to go" to meet its international requirements.

Mr. Davies said the international community, led by the U.S., China, Russia, France, the U.K. and Germany would now need to "find new ways to change Iran's direction."

China, however, has opposed sanctions, and Russia has dragged its feet. In Paris Monday, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said Moscow was ready to consider new sanctions, but insisted that any measures not harm the Iranian population.