AFP, Washington, June 9, 2010 – The new sanctions against Iranian banks contained in UN measures approved Wednesday are a ’significant step forward’ in the effort to pressure transparency from Tehran over its suspect nuclear program, a US official said.
The inclusion of Iranian banks is ’significant because we’ve shared with many other countries a concern about the manipulation of the banking system to serve illicit nuclear and missile-related purposes,’ Undersecretary of State William Burns told a press conference.
The resolution ’highlights that concern and calls upon all the members of the UN to exercise vigilance,’ he said after the 15-member UN Security Council slapped a fourth round of sanctions on Iran.
The focus on banking, along with military and scientific assets, ’is an important new development and a significant step forward in this resolution,’ Burns added.
The resolution calls on countries to deny Iranian banks with a potential link to the suspect nuclear program from operating in their jurisdiction. It also prohibits banks from opening branches in Iran, if there is a chance it could impact atomic proliferation.