World powers said today they would refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council after Tehran failed to respond quickly enough to a package of incentives aimed at defusing a nuclear standoff.
"We have no choice but to return to the United Nations Security Council," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said following a meeting with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, Russia, China and Germany.
Iran was referred to the Security Council earlier this year, but work on a UN resolution, which could have opened the way to sanctions, was delayed to allow the Iranian leadership to respond to the offer of incentives.
Prior to today's meeting, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said: "The time for Iran to give a clear indication that we are on the path of negotiations, not on the path of the Security Council, has come and the indications are that the decision will be forced tonight".
Talks between chief Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Brussels, ended yesterday with both sides showing frustration and Tehran insisting it needed more time to consider the package.
Work on a Security Council resolution was delayed to allow Tehran to respond to the offer. Russia and China, both veto-holders on the council, had been reluctant to back any text they feared could lead to sanctions or military action.
The powers said Iran must suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, which can also produce fuel for bombs, before talks resume. An Iranian deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday however Iran was not considering such a move.
"We did it before, we did it for two and a half years. It proved that it didn't work," Manuchehr Mohammadi said on a visit to China, referring to a suspension put in place during previous talks with France, Britain and Germany.
Tehran has also said there are "ambiguities" in the package which need to be clarified