VIENNA, Sept 21: China and Russia warned the United States and European Union on Wednesday against escalating the nuclear standoff with Iran, potentially blocking a Western drive to haul Tehran before the UN Security Council.

The European Union has circulated a US-backed draft resolution calling on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) governing board to report Iran’s nuclear programme to the Security Council, which could impose sanctions.

Western countries suspect Tehran is developing atomic weapons under cover of a civilian nuclear energy programme. Iran insists its programme is peaceful and intended to meet its energy requirements.

Both China and Russia, which as permanent, veto-wielding members of the Council could block any action, warned the West against antagonizing Iran.

“While Iran is cooperating with the IAEA, while it is not enriching uranium and observing a moratorium, while IAEA inspectors are working in the country, it would be counter-productive to report this question to the U.N. Security Council,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“It will lead to an unnecessary politicising of the situation. Iran is not violating its obligations and its actions do not threaten the non-proliferation regime,” he said in a speech in San Francisco reported by the RIA Novosti news agency.

And Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing told an EU team headed by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw at the United Nations that sending the Iran issue to the Security Council could be counter-productive, a European participant said.

The diplomat quoted Li as saying that kicking the issue from Vienna to New York “could encourage Iran to take extreme measures” and would not be constructive.

Russia is building a $1 billion nuclear reactor for Iran and sees it as a key ally in the Middle East.

“The Russians are blocking the resolution,” said a diplomat from one of the EU “big three” countries — France, Britain and Germany — on condition of anonymity.

“They aren’t moving at all, not one centimetre. They don’t even want to talk about the resolution. They don’t want to propose any amendments. Nothing,” the diplomat said.

Russia’s foreign ministry made it clear in an email to Reuters that it would prefer a different kind of resolution.

“We are ready to work with all parties involved on a resolution that would reflect the situation in a balanced way and help find negotiable solutions and solid guarantees that the Iranian nuclear programme is peaceful,” the ministry said.

EU TOUGHENS RHETORIC: Western countries say that since Iran hid its uranium enrichment programme from the IAEA for 18 years, the only way it can prove it is not seeking nuclear bombs is permanently to renounce sensitive nuclear technology.