WASHINGTON – Six major world powers have agreed to begin putting together proposed new sanctions on Iran over its suspect nuclear program after China dropped its opposition, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
China, long a holdout against fresh international penalties against Iran, signaled its willingness Wednesday to consider a U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution, two U.S. government officials said.
That would appear to improve prospects for passing a resolution aimed at increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to scale back its nuclear ambitions, which Tehran insists are limited to developing nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
In another sign of movement on the Chinese front, Iran's state media reported Wednesday that the country's top nuclear negotiator will travel to Beijing to discuss possible U.N. sanctions. Iranian state television said Saeed Jalili will hold talks Thursday with senior Chinese officials "concerning the nuclear program."
President Barack Obama had said Tuesday he hoped to have Iran sanctions in place within weeks — a timetable that appeared highly ambitious given China's reluctance to even discuss specific sanctions.
On Wednesday, however, two U.S. officials said that in a phone call among officials from the five permanent members of the Security Council — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — plus Germany, the Chinese representative said his country was prepared to discuss specific potential sanctions.
Forgive me for my pessimism, but this will not stop Iran.
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