Russia, China have blocked tough Iran sanctions: U.S.

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By Mark Heinrich Thu Nov 1, 7:27 AM ET



VIENNA (Reuters) - Russia and China have been blocking tough U.N. sanctions against Iran, the United States said on Thursday, adding there would be a push to impose them if Iran did not halt nuclear activity within two weeks. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he was "not worried at all" about additional sanctions, dismissing them as ineffective.
Nicholas Burns, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, said China and Russia had been stalling a new United Nations Security Council resolution since late March.
The five permanent powers on the U.N. Security Council plus Germany will meet in London on Friday to weigh broader sanctions. Increased saber-rattling between Iran and Washington is stirring fears of war if diplomatic pressure fails.
Burns, speaking before talks in Vienna with the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief, said Iran had been given a grace period since the last U.N resolution on March 24.
"Russia and China have been effectively blocking a third resolution since then," he told reporters. Moscow and Beijing, two of the five veto-holders on the Council and major trade partners of Iran, have insisted on more time for diplomacy.
Western powers agreed in September to put off seeking harsher sanctions after a pledge from Iran to clarify past secrets of its nuclear program to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
The IAEA will issue a report in mid-November.
Russia, China have blocked tough Iran sanctions: U.S. - Yahoo! News

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Russia and China need to take a step back and realize what the alternative is... Sanctions vs. bombing Iran back into the stone age. Atleast w/ sanctions these two crooked countries can continue to milk every dime out of the Iran for various building projects - there will not be an infrastructure should they allow Iran to continue.