US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton signaled yesterday that
the United States may bypass the UN Security Council to take punitive measures
against Iran if the council fails to do so.
"The question of what to do about Iran is certainly not confined to the
Security Council," Bolton told reporters at UN headquarters.
"You can envision sanctions being imposed outside of the Security Council as
the United States has unilaterally imposed sanctions on Iraq pursuing to its own
statutes ... Other governments can do the same," he said.
His comments reflected an earlier interview with the Los Angeles Times later
last week in which the U.S. envoy said the United States planned to introduce a
resolution imposing penalties such as a travel ban and asset freeze for key
Iranian leaders soon after the Aug. 31 deadline.
During the interview, he also voiced optimism about a unified council action
against Iran.
"Everybody's been on board," Bolton told the newspaper, adding that in case
the council cannot reach a deal on passing a resolution authorizing the
sanctions, the United States would work on a parallel diplomatic track outside
the United Nations.
The 15-member council has give Iran until the end of the month to halt
enrichment or face possible sanctions.
