New sanctions against Iran would be a lot more far-reaching and damaging to the Islamic Republic without the efforts of China, a Russian business daily said on Friday.
UN Resolution 1929, adopted on Wednesday, imposes a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, and includes tougher financial controls and an expanded arms embargo.
The Kommersant daily said China was the most consistent opponent of sanctions against Iran as it has its own economic interests in the Persian Gulf state.
Kommersant cited Steven Miller of the Harvard University's international security program as saying that Beijing imports from Iran "at least 12%" of the total amount of oil the country needs and that China has actively invested in the Iranian energy sector in recent years.
An anonymous UN official told Kommersant that Chinese UN members discussed "every single point of the resolution" in order to minimize the damage to Iran's economy.
Due to the Chinese lobbying, the UN Security Council cut down significantly a "blacklist" of Iranian banks prohibited from conducting international financial services.
UN removed the Iranian Central Bank from the list, saying instead other states should "exercise vigilance over transactions involving Iranian banks, including the Central Bank of Iran".
MOSCOW, June 11(RIA Novosti)
