U.S. proposes mandatory Iran inspections

The United States is reportedly proposing mandatory international inspections of all cargo into and out of Iran. Nicholas Burns, the U.S. under -secretary of state, made the proposal Friday in a conference call with other members of the U.N. Security Council, the New York Times reported, and President Bush planned on raising the issue in his talks Sunday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reasoning behind the inspections, which would be required of all countries, would be to stop Iran from getting materials necessary for manufacturing a nuclear bomb, but the effect would also be to clog Iran’s economy. The Security Council has twice imposed sanctions since December, but they have not persuaded Iran to halt its uranium enrichment. Russia and China have resisted tougher sanctions against the Islamic Republic.