A third set of U.N. sanctions targeting Iran could come as soon as Saturday.
The proposed sanctions, the third in just over a year, already have the support of the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council, the United States, Russia, Britain, China and France, and more than required nine of the 15 votes to pass.
Co-sponsors Britain and France are seeking unanimity, however, and hope to persuade Libya, Indonesia, South Africa and Vietnam to come aboard, the Associated Press reported.
The sanctions are aimed at getting Iran to stand down from its suspected nuclear weapons program.
The new sanctions would expand asset freezes and travel restrictions to more Iranian individuals associated with its nuclear sector and introduce monitoring of two Iranian banks. They would also for the first time impose “dual use” bans – preventing the export to Iran of substances that could be for civilian or military use.
