A part of paper can't stop a bomb, and a United Nations resolution that hasn't even been passed yet certainly can't do the trick. Yet the announcement this week that the U.S. and the other permanent powers on the U.N. Security Council have settled on a proposed new set of sanctions on Iran represents a significant moment in the tangled, long-running drama over Iran's nuclear program.
No, the resolution's supplies don't amount to the "crippling sanctions" U.S. officials have promised and Israeli officials have urged to force Tehran to halt its nuclear program before it's capable of producing weapons—which, of course, Iran insists it isn't trying to develop. And no, the resolution isn't perfect; it includes only passing references to, and no clear restrictions on, Iran's energy sector or central bank.
Still, the statement matters. Most importantly, it's a strong sign that Iran can't count on China and Russia to bail it out. That's what Iran has been counting on all along, and that's what has now been called into query. Just a day before the U.S. and the other permanent members of the Security Council—Russia, China, France and Great Britain—announced they had agreed to a draft sanctions decision, Iran played its trump card, the one designed to peel China and Russia away from sanctions.
Still, the statement matters. Most importantly, it's a strong sign that Iran can't count on China and Russia to bail it out. That's what Iran has been counting on all along, and that's what has now been called into query. Just a day before the U.S. and the other permanent members of the Security Council—Russia, China, France and Great Britain—announced they had agreed to a draft sanctions decision, Iran played its trump card, the one designed to peel China and Russia away from sanctions.
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