WASHINGTON, May 3: The US would act together with ‘like-minded states’ to sanction Iran if the UN Security Council failed to endorse its efforts to censure Tehran, the State Department said.

Spokesman Sean McCormack told a briefing in Washington that the Bush administration’s discussions with its allies were focusing on a possible UN resolution that could place mandatory demands on Iran and open the path for sanctions or the use of force.

“But one does not preclude the other; individual states certainly can act outside a Security Council resolution,” said Mr McCormack. “That certainly is their prerogative.”

He said sanctions against Iran would be brought “either through the Security Council or individual states or like-minded states acting together”.

The State Department spokesman, however, emphasized that even if individual states acted on their own to penalize Iran, it doesn’t prevent the Security Council from “considering sanctions or assets freeze or travel restrictions itself down the road”.

Describing them as “two separate yet parallel paths”, Mr McCormack said the US would be working on both possibilities.

Asked to comment on Iran’s claim that it has achieved a higher level of uranium enrichment capability the spokesman said: “They’re throwing up all sorts of chaff in the air right now to divert attention to try to make threatening statements to the international community.”