International sanctions are slowing Iran's nuclear program but the Islamic Republic has repeatedly sought to breach an arms embargo by shipping weapons to Syria, UN investigators said in a report. Six of the nine violations of a UN ban on conventional arms shipments by Iran involve Syria, said the report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
The UN Security Council has passed four rounds of sanctions against Iran over its uranium enrichment, which western nations say is a front for a nuclear arms drive. A panel of experts which monitors the sanctions said Iran is circumventing the action but that nuclear work has been hit. The sanctions are "slowing Iran's nuclear program but are not yet having an impact on the decision calculus of its leadership with respect to halting uranium enrichment and heavy water-related activities."