U.N. Security Council passes nuclear demands for Iran« Thread Started on Mar 29, 2006, 5:21pm » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------U.N. Security Council passes nuclear demands for IranStatement not binding; Russia, China want IAEA to take leadWednesday, March 29, 2006 Posted: 2138 GMT (0538 HKT) read source: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast ... htmlUNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a statement Wednesday demanding that Iran suspend uranium enrichment.The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council agreed earlier on a statement demanding that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, setting the stage for the first action by the powerful body over fears that Tehran wants a nuclear weapon.The text gives Iran 30 days to cooperate with the IAEA and suspend its uranium enrichment, according to U.S. Ambassador John Bolton.The council has struggled for three weeks to come up with a written rebuke that would urge Iran to comply with several demands from the board of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to clear up suspicions about its intentions. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes."The council is expressing its clear concern and is saying to Iran that it should comply with the wishes of the governing board," Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones-Parry told reporters.The West believes council action will help isolate Iran and put new pressure on it to clear up suspicions about its intentions. They have proposed an incremental approach, refusing to rule out sanctions.U.S. officials have said the threat of military action must also remain on the table.Russia and China, both allies of Iran, oppose sanctions. They wanted the council statement to make explicit that the IAEA, not the Security Council, must take the lead in confronting Iran.But even though the statement is not legally enforceable, the talks have been extremely sensitive because of the statement's larger significance.Britain, France and the United States wanted the council statement out of the way before their foreign ministers, as well as Germany's meet in Berlin on Thursday to discuss strategy regarding Iran.Wednesday's meeting of the five veto-wielding members of the council -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia -- was the fourth in fewer than 24 hours.In Moscow on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeated his stance that Moscow would not support the use of force to solve the Iranian nuclear problem."As many of our European and Chinese colleagues have stated more than once, any ideas involving the use of force or pressure in resolving the issue are counterproductive and cannot be supported," Lavrov said.Iran remains defiant. The government released a statement through its embassy in Moscow on Tuesday warning that Security Council intervention would "escalate tensions, entailing negative consequences that would be of benefit to no party."Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed