France and Britain have again delayed a UN Security Council vote on a third round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program in an effort to win over skeptics, diplomats said.
A UN spokeswoman said the Security Council would meet to discuss Iran at 11am (4pm GMT) on Monday and diplomats said Britain and France would call a vote on a draft resolution which was finalized yesterday.
US and British diplomats had earlier said the vote would probably be held today but had left open the possibility that it could be pushed back a few days to allow time for more negotiations with four reluctant council members.
The resolution will tighten existing sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on Iran because of its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, which creates fuel for nuclear power stations but also for atomic weapons, as demanded by the council in three previous resolutions.
Iran denies Western allegations that it is amassing the capability to produce nuclear weapons and says its atomic ambitions are limited to peacefully generating electricity. Tehran has said the case for sanctions lacks any legal basis and that it has no intention to comply with the resolution.
The five permanent council members, the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, and Germany, which is not on the council, agreed in Berlin on January 22nd on a draft text outlining a third round of sanctions against Tehran.
Washington had hoped for a swift vote on the sanctions text but negotiations have dragged on for over a month, mainly due to resistance from four nonpermanent members of the 15-nation council -- South Africa, Libya, Vietnam and Indonesia.
The resolution is backed by the five permanent members and six others, meaning its adoption is not in doubt.