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Brazil rejects UNSC sanctions on Iran

Brazil, which voted against an anti-Iran US-proposed resolution at the UN Security Council, says past experiences prove the sanctions can only result in “tragic consequences.”

In an attempt to halt Iran’s nuclear program, 12 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) voted on Wednesday in favor of imposing a fresh round of sanctions against Tehran.

Brazil and Turkey — the two non-permanent member of the UNSC which issued a May 17 nuclear fuel swap declaration with Iran — voted against the resolution and Lebanon abstained from vote.

Brazil’s UN Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti said her country voted against the resolution to honor its commitment to the “efforts that resulted in the Tehran declaration of May 17.”

“We will do so because we do not see sanctions as an effective instrument in this case, sanctions will most probably lead to the suffering of the people of Iran and will play into the hands of those on all sides that would not want dialogue to prevail,” Viotti said.

“Past experiences in the UN, notably the case of Iraq, show that the spiral sanctions threats and isolation can result in tragic consequences. We will vote against, also because the adoption of sanctions at this juncture runs contrary to the successful efforts of Brazil and Turkey to engage Iran in a negotiated solution for its nuclear program,” she added.

Viotti described the Tehran declaration as a “unique opportunity” that should not be missed as it promoted a solution that would ensure the full exercise of Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy while addressing international concerns.

As a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran insists that it neither believes in nuclear weapons, nor, as a matter of religious principles, does it intend to access such weapons of mass-destruction.

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