However, Tehran rejected the resolution encompassing the embargo as ‘illegal’ and aimed at furthering the national policies of some member states.

The resolution, adopted by the 15-member Council with 14 affirmative votes with Indonesia abstaining, for the first time bans trade with Iran in goods which have use in both civilian and military nuclear programmes.
It also authorises inspection of shipments to and from Iran by sea and air suspected to be carrying prohibited materials.

Some Middle Eastern diplomats feared that it could set the stage for confrontation between Iran and the Western powers which reject Tehran’s contention that its nuclear programme is purely aimed at peaceful uses, especially for producing power, and believe that it is geared towards making nuclear weapons.

Immediately after the vote, British Ambassador John Sawers read out a statement on behalf of the five permanent members and Germany, which once again offered incentives as sop to Iran to stop its uranium enrichment programme.

They, he said, wanted the European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana to meet Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in an effort to reopen the negotiations to resolve the issue by beefing up incentives offered to Tehran as far back as in 2006, provided it suspends its uranium enrichment plans.

Iran says it wants to enrich uranium to ensure a assured supply for its nuclear power plants but the West has offered to supply the fuel if it stopped enriching uranium. However, Tehran fears that the West might stop the supply at any time.

Iran lambasts UN

Iran on Tuesday slammed the UN Security Council’s move to tighten sanctions over its contested nuclear programme accusing the world body of being manipulated by the West and undermining the UN atomic agency, AFP adds from Tehran.

“We are once again witnessing the bitter reality that the Security Council’s position is belittled to an extent to serve as an instrument at the service of the foreign policy of a few countries,” said Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaie. The resolution is “totally illegitimate and illegal”, he told the meeting, according to the official IRNA news agency.