Six major world powers hope today to put finishing touches on a draft text imposing sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, which can be used in a bomb or for peaceful ends.
"There are no difficulties. There are just one or two issues to resolve," Britain's UN ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry, said after yesterday's negotiations with the United States, France, Russia and China - the other four permanent UN Security Council members - as well as Germany.
No date for a vote has been set but envoys hope for this weekend, although delays among the 15 Security Council nations are the rule rather than the exception.
The new sanctions are expected to include an embargo on Iranian conventional arms exports, a ban on new commitments for government loans to Tehran and an asset freeze on an expanded list of Iranian officials and companies associated with the country's nuclear program, diplomats said.
The new resolution is a follow-up to one adopted by the council on December 23rd that imposed trade sanctions on sensitive nuclear materials and technology and froze assets of key Iranian individuals, groups and businesses.
The sanctions are to penalize Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment and would be suspended if Iran complied and returned to negotiations.
The United States and leading European countries suspect Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian atomic program. Tehran denies the charge and says its program is for generating electricity only.
Meanwhile Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to address the council to defend Tehran's nuclear plans, but he has yet to officially ask for a meeting.
According to Iran's UN ambassador, Javad Zarif, Mr Ahmadinejad is determined to address the council.