Iran Blames US Visa Delay for Ahmadinejad's Absence at Security Council

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not travel to New York for Saturday's UN Security Council session on Iran's nuclear file, Tehran announced Friday, citing a US visa that arrived too late for him to depart.

An Iranian official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said travel documents for Ahmadinejad's accompanying delegation were also withheld. "The United States deliberately issued the visas late," the official said, holding Washington responsible for the cancellation.

The Security Council was expected to vote Saturday on a resolution tightening sanctions first imposed in December, when Tehran refused to halt sensitive nuclear work. The draft had been circulated to the council's 10 non-permanent members last week for comment.

The measure was drawn up by the five permanent members, Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States, along with Germany. Uranium enrichment produces nuclear fuel but can, at a highly advanced stage, yield material suitable for atomic weapons.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2007, in its own words.