The United States, Britain, and France have drafted a proposed sanctions resolution targeting Iran over its nuclear activities, though the three powers have not yet reached full agreement on the text, the US State Department said Monday.
Spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that broad but incomplete consensus exists on the resolution's contents and on how it might connect to broader diplomatic efforts. He said consultations with China and Russia have been ongoing alongside the core talks among the three Western powers.
The proposed measures respond to Iran's failure to meet a 31 August UN Security Council deadline requiring suspension of its uranium enrichment program. Washington and other major powers worry that enrichment could be redirected toward building nuclear weapons, while Tehran maintains its program serves only civilian energy purposes.
China and Russia, both of which hold substantial economic ties with Iran, have shown reluctance to support strong punitive measures against the country. McCormack said the sanctions issue would likely dominate the Security Council's agenda for the coming weeks.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.