After days of hectic parleys and diplomatic arm-twisting, the 35-member International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran to the United Nations Security Council in a resolution expressing concern that Tehran's nuclear programme may not be exclusively for peaceful purposes.
India and 26 other nations supported the IAEA's proposal. The decision sets the stage for future action by the top UN body that could include economic and political sanctions.
Meanwhile, India's decision to refer Iran to the UNSC has evoked sharp criticism from parties both within and outside the United Progressive Alliance government.
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The Iran vote & after
Image: International Atomic Energy Agency session over Iran's suspect nuclear programme. Inset: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Photograph: Dieter Nagl/AFP/Getty Images.
Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images.