In brief: U.N. likely to back Iran nuclear deal

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote for first thing Monday morning on a resolution endorsing the Iran nuclear deal.

The resolution was circulated to council members Wednesday by the United States. Members were also briefed by both Iran and the other countries that negotiated the landmark agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program.

With all five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council involved in the marathon Iran negotiations, the resolution’s adoption Monday was almost certain.

The resolution implements an intricate deal that places restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program while allowing relief from sanctions that the country’s leaders say have hurt its economy.

Monday’s vote is scheduled despite calls from some U.S. lawmakers to delay Security Council approval until Congress reviews the deal.

The chairman of the Senate’s foreign relations committee, Bob Corker, on Thursday wrote a letter to President Barack Obama saying, “We urge you to postpone the vote at the United Nations until after Congress considers this agreement.”

But the chief U.S. negotiator in the Iran talks, Wendy Sherman, rejected that idea Thursday.

IS militants target Egypt navy vessel

CAIRO – An Egyptian navy vessel was targeted on Thursday by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group, who claimed they destroyed it with a rocket while it was anchored off the Sinai peninsula’s Mediterranean coast.

Egyptian military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir said the vessel caught fire in an exchange of fire with “terrorists” on the shore and that there were no fatalities among its crew members.

China cremates Tibetan lama’s body

BEIJING – Chinese authorities cremated the body of a Tibetan lama in a prison Thursday against the wishes of his family, who had wanted to perform Buddhist funeral rites on the body in his hometown, a rights group said.

The New York-based Students for a Free Tibet said Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s body was cremated in a secret prison near the one in Chengdu city in Sichuan province where he had been held for the past 13 years.

The Tibetan rights group said about 30 Tibetans from his immediate family and students were allowed to see the body before the cremation and perform a short prayer.