Nuclear Reset - Program on Strategic Stability Evaluation (POSSE)

Chapter 17. Nonproliferation Institutions325be brought to the attention of the Security Council which will determineif that situation constitutes a threat to international peaceand security.” The Resolution stated the resolve of the SecurityCouncil to monitor closely any situation involving the prolifera-tion of nuclear weapons and to take such measures as may be necessaryfor the maintenance of international peace and security. Inparticular, in Resolution 1887 the Council urged the parties concernedto comply fully with their nonproliferation obligations underthe relevant UNSC resolutions (UNSCR). 8 Resolution 1887 identi-fies a number of important measures to complement and strengthenthe NPT regime.It follows from the above that in the sphere of nonproliferationenforcement, a great deal has been left to the discretion of the UNSecurity Council. Regrettably, it has so far not been able to committhe full force of its potential power to ensure compliance with the centralprovisions of the NPT. In this context, it would be appropriateto review the anti-proliferation sanctions which were imposed uponIran and North Korea for failures to comply with the NPT regime.Sanctions Againstthe Iranian <strong>Nuclear</strong> <strong>Program</strong> (INP)Under the 1970 NPT and the 1974 agreement between Iran andthe IAEA, 9 Tehran assumed the international legal obligation notto acquire nuclear weapons and to place its nuclear activities underthe IAEA safeguards.Iran, however, began carrying out undeclared nuclear activitiesin the late 1980s and continued to do so until the early 2000s, includingpurchasing dual-use technology from illegal nuclear suppliernetworks. 10 There is some evidence that Iran’s nuclear efforts were assistedby an underground network of nuclear material and technologytraders headed by the Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan. 11In February 2006, the director general of the IAEA sent a reportto the UN Security Council in which he informed that body aboutthe demand by the IAEA Board of Governors that Iran implementa series of specific steps in order to regain international trust in itsnuclear activities. The report listed outstanding questions and problemswith regard of Iran’s past nuclear activities, including the themeswhich might have a military dimension.