Iran poses new challenge to UN on nuclear issues

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http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2006/August/middleeast_August772.xml§ion=middleeast

NEW YORK - The UN Security Council on Thursday will yet again pick up on Iran’s defiance of its demand to halt uranium enrichment activities.

But this time around, the UN body will have to confront its own members, China and Russia, which are opposed to sanctions against Tehran.

In addition to its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, Tehran last weekend announced it was inaugurating a heavy water reactor, which could be used for both peaceful energy generation and production of plutonium for nuclear warheads.

The announcement threw another obstacle into the council’s efforts to curb the Islamic nation’s nuclear ambitions.