There's only one way to describe Iran's diplomatic stategy: divide and conquer. Iran has rejected the Security Council's demand to suspend its uranium enrichment activities and instead vowed to push ahead with its nuclear program. The announcement came in response to a July 31 Security Council resolution that gave Iran 30 days to stop its nuclear activities or face possible economic and diplomatic sanctions. MediaLine reports that the Iranian response calls on European nations to break with the U.S. and return to the negotiating table rather than moving for sanctions in the Security Council.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's adviser, former Iranian FM Ali Akbar Velayati, was quoted as saying that "the international pressure on Iran may increase, but that is an insignificant matter compared to our technological progress in the nuclear field." He said that, "if one weighs the international pressure on the one hand and the long-term Iranian interest in nuclear energy for peace on the other hand, the result received is incomparable." Russia and China, both of which hold vetoes in the Security Council, are on record as supporting continued negotiations rather than sanctions.
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