联合国安理会通过伊朗核协议

The UN Security Council has unanimously endorsed the historic agreement reached between Iran and major world powers on Iranian nuclear issues, paving the way to lift the sanctions imposed by the US, EU and UN on Iran.

It marks the formal UN approval for the hard-won agreement reached between Tehran and the permanent members of the Security Council, plus Germany, after 18 straight days of talks in Vienna earlier this month.

For more on this, we are joined live on the line by our UN correspondent Su Yi.

What are the next steps for the UN to lift its sanctions on Iran?

On the part of the Security Council, there is already a timetable in the agreement regarding the process of lifting its sanctions on Iran.
According to the resolution, the Security Council will first review a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency in the coming months. The report will verify whether Iran is implementing its commitments under the comprehensive deal. And then the SC will terminate some of its resolutions.

There were 7 UN resolutions passed between 2006 and 2015. The Security Council resolution will not completely lift all sanctions on Iran.

It maintains an arms embargo, and sets up a panel to review the import of sensitive technology on a case-by-case basis. Also it sets up a way to renew sanctions if Iran does not abide by its commitments. That means if an unresolved dispute emerges, the UN sanctions will snap back automatically after 30 days.

We know the European Union has approved the deal on the same day as the Security Council did it, so apart from the Security Council, the next milestone would be whether the US congress will approve the deal. American lawmakers have 60 days to decide. US President Barack Obama has already said he will veto any rejections over this matter from the Congress.

You said the Security Council will examine whether Iran is implementing its commitments. What are those commitments?

Under the deal, Iran agrees to redesign its Arak heavy-water reactor, convert its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant into a technology center, remove centrifuges and uranium-enrichment-related infrastructure, just name a few here.

One of the key issues discussed during and after the Vienna talks was whether the deal is verifiable and whether it can be fully implemented. That is also what the UN ambassadors focused on Monday's Security Council meeting.

Iran's UN ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo says he hopes the adoption of both the resolution and the comprehensive agreement can turn the page in the region.

"We earnestly hope that it helps turn the page in our region, enabling countries to close the ranks and fight against violent extremism and to move towards more cooperation to tackle the grave threats that our region and the world face."

What does China say about the endorsement?

China' permanent representative to the UN Liu Jieyi said that the unanimous adoption of the new Council resolution represents the first important step in implementing the Iran nuclear deal.

"We must implement the Security Council resolution as well as the comprehensive agreement in a balanced, precise and comprehensive manner. All parties should firmly fulfill their commitments in order to fully implement the deal."

Liu Jieyi particularly emphasized the importance of the spirit of win-win cooperation around the solving of the Iranian nuclear issues.
 
He had this to say.

"The achievement around the comprehensive agreement is a far-reaching inspiration to the modern international relations. It shows the powerful viability of building a new type of international relations based on win-win cooperation. The Iranian nuclear issues involve so many vital interests and even some core interests, yet without the spirit of win-win cooperation, it would have been much more difficult to reach such an agreement and would be difficult to implement any deals."

That was CRI's UN correspondent Su Yi.