European powers today began drafting a resolution to have Iran referred to the UN Security Council next month over its contentious nuclear work, diplomats said, after Russia and the West neared agreement on strategy.
Britain's Foreign Office said Britain, Germany and France would call for an emergency meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation board of governors in Vienna on February 2-3. A vote on sending Iran to the Security Council could be held then.
Iran's resumption of research that could advance a quest for civilian atomic energy or bombs has sparked a flurry of Western diplomacy in pursuit of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) referral to the Council, which could impose sanctions.
US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said he hoped the IAEA did refer Iran to the Council.
"The US remains comvinced that Iran is a threat to the international community and it should immediately cease all activity related to its enrichment programme," he told Reuters after attending a London meeting on Monday of permanent Council members Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States, along with Germany.
"We remain very seriously concerned by the Iranian actions in recent weeks," he said.
After Russia said it was "very close" to Western views on Iran, which favour diplomatic action to curb its atomic project, Germany, France and Britain began drafting a referral resolution to submit to the IAEA board, EU diplomats said.
"It's short. It calls for (IAEA director-general Mohamed) ElBaradei to report Iran to the Security Council," one diplomat said, asking for anonymity because of the subject's sensitivity.