The United Nations Security Council met to vote on a resolution to impose new sanctions against Iran for continued uranium enrichment after Iran had ignored resolutions calling for an end to such activities. Western countries believe that uranium enrichment is a precursor to building a nuclear weapon. The Iranian ambassador first spoke for 35 minutes, following by shorter speeches by members of the Security Council. By a vote of 13 to 0 the Security Council approved a third round of sanctions banning trade with Iran for civilian and military goods.