Tighter bonds - China strengthens ties with Iran

Passing UN sanctions is fraught with difficulty. For various parties to agree on the terms to restrict the flow of goods or services to a country requires consensus, compromise, patience and even bribery. Even then, success is not guaranteed, as countries may view any sanctions as antithetical to their strategic goals.

The United States and its European allies are currently experiencing exactly this difficulty in dealing with Iran. After the public revelation in September that Iran had another uranium enrichment site near the town of Qom, speculation has grown that a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran may be forthcoming. However, before any sanctions can be passed, all five permanent members of the UN Security Council need to be persuaded about the legitimacy, need and desirability of such action.

Russian and Chinese objections to the sanctions are well publicised, but in Moscow's case may be flexible. China is likely to prove a much more difficult partner to woo when it comes to pressing for sanctions on Iran. Beijing sees strategic, economic and diplomatic reasons to support the Iranian regime, and this combination, while not clearly prohibiting any future successful sanctions, will make it problematic to pass any significant injunctions that would greatly curtail Iran's energy sector. Even then, China's relationship with Iran may dilute any sanctions or their effects, and undermine their efficacy and consequences.