U.N. Backs Broader Sanctions On Tehran

Saturday's vote ended more than five weeks of intense talks on how to respond to Iran's defiance.

The resolution's chief sponsors -- Britain, France, Germany and the United States -- secured backing from China and Russia only after dropping several of the toughest measures, including calls for a travel ban on select Iranian officials, a cutoff of billions of dollars in export credits for companies trading with Iran and a prohibition on arms imports by Iran.

They also overcame opposition from South Africa, Qatar and Indonesia by adding provisions that highlighted the importance of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East and the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in resolving the nuclear dispute with Iran.

"The purpose of the new Security Council resolution is not to punish Iran but to urge Iran to return to the negotiations," said Wang Guangya, China's U.N. ambassador.

The resolution prohibits Iran from being able to "supply, sell or transfer" arms, and calls on nations to "exercise vigilance and restraint" in selling combat aircraft, attack helicopters, tanks, warships, missiles and other heavy weapons to Iran.

The resolution will also make it more awkward for select Iranian officials and scientists to travel abroad.

The resolution expands an asset freeze to some Iranian institutions and individuals -- including Bank Sepah and the Esfahan Nuclear Fuel Research and Production Center -- that are allegedly linked to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The restrictions, however, will not apply to contracts they signed before being placed on the list.

"The impact is primarily political rather than practical," said Abbas Milani, the director of Stanford University's Iranian Studies program. The financial and military restrictions are "rather limited and toothless" but they are having a profound psychological impact on investors and eroding President Ahmadinejad's standing in Iran.