Iran sanctions: U.S. strikes deal with Britain, Russia, China

Washington, May 18 (ANI): The United States has struck a deal with other big powers, including Russia and China, for imposing new sanctions on Iran.

The latest announcement has come as a negation of the deal Tehran offered just a day before to ship its nuclear fuel out of the country.

"We have reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of both Russia and China," New York Times quoted U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton telling it to a Senate committee on Tuesday morning.

"We plan to circulate that draft resolution to the entire Security Council today. And let me say, Mr. Chairman, I think this announcement is as convincing an answer to the efforts undertaken in Tehran over the last few days as any we could provide," she added.

The sanctions agreement, Clinton said, was reached by the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - the five permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council - plus Germany.

The announcement came just a day after Iran said it would ship roughly half of its nuclear fuel to Turkey, in a bid to assuage concerns about its program. American, European and Russian officials reacted with deep skepticism to that proposal, noting that it would still leave Iran with enough low-enriched uranium to create fuel for one nuclear weapon if it chose to make one.

"There are a number of unanswered questions regarding the announcement coming from Tehran," Mrs. Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (ANI)