Iran warned to respect UN sanctions vote

PARIS: World leaders on Sunday urged Tehran to heed the decision reached by the United Nations Security Council imposing sanctions on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes.

"Israel and the Israeli government welcome the decision," Olmert told reporters before heading into a weekly cabinet meeting.

"This is an important decision of the international community. This decision offers many possibilities that will allow us to reach positive results in order to block the Iranian nuclear programme."

France warned Iran it risked "total isolation" over its defiant decision to expand uranium enrichment in the wake of the imposition of UN sanctions.

"I can't think for an instant that all the Iranian authorities have decided on total isolation of their country. I think that, to the contrary, it would be in their interest to turn towards negotiation," Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told France Inter radio.

Britain's UN envoy Emyr Jones Parry, a resolution sponsor, said: "The choice is in Tehran. We set up the choice, we set up the legal requirement, and it's now for Iran to comply."

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso welcomed the unanimous approval of a UN resolution imposing the sanctions, but added that Japan "strongly hopes for a peaceful resolution of the issue through dialogue."