The resolution was passed with 14 votes in favor. Indonesia abstained from voting.
Under the new sanctions, the accounts of certain Iranian companies and banks will be frozen, and goods leaving and entering the Islamic Republic will be subjected to inspections. In addition, travel bans have been imposed on five Iranian officials involved in nuclear projects.
At the UN Security Council meeting, the foreign ministers of the six countries leading international efforts to persuade Iran to freeze uranium enrichment issued a joint statement calling for the dispute to be resolved through negotiations.
The statement was read out by the British envoy to the Iran Six, which comprises the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany.
The diplomatic standoff between Iran and the West began almost six years ago over suspicions that Tehran was secretly developing atomic weapons. Tehran has always maintained that it needs nuclear technology for electricity generation only. Two rounds of UN sanctions have so far been imposed on Tehran - in December 2006 and March 2007.
