Iran says Russia and China will not back sanctions

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister was quoted on
Tuesday as saying that Russia and China had officially informed
Tehran they would not support sanctions or military action over
the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

U.N. ambassadors from the United States, Britain and France
are expected to introduce a resolution this week to legally
oblige Iran to comply with U.N. Security Council demands it
halt all uranium enrichment work.

When asked how far Russia and China, veto-wielding
permanent members of the council, would support Washington,
Manouchehr Mottaki told the Kayhan newspaper:

“The thing these two countries have officially told us and
expressed in diplomatic negotiations is their opposition to
sanctions and military attacks.”

“At the current juncture, I personally believe no sanctions
or anything like that will be on the agenda of the Security
Council,” he said in the interview.

Western diplomats say China and Russia will probably back a
U.N. resolution demanding a halt to Iran’s fuel work, but are
not yet ready to back moves toward sanctions.

Iran has been hauled before the U.N. Security Council after
failing to convince the international community that its
nuclear power station program is not a front for building an
atom bomb.