VIENNA, Oct 24: The United States, France and Britain are pushing for the UN Security Council to ban all missile and nuclear technology sales to Iran and to end most of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s technical aid programmes, diplomats said on Tuesday.

The UN diplomats, who asked for anonymity because the draft was not yet public, said the Western proposal would also commit UN member countries to deny entry to Iranian officials involved in developing the country’s missile or nuclear programs.

One of the diplomats described all three measures as moderate and narrowly focused in an attempt to win Russian and Chinese backing to sanction Iran’s nuclear defiance, adding that draft would be presented to Moscow and Beijing later this week.

A Security Council resolution passed last week imposed similar sanctions on the sale and transfer of technology which could contribute to North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes after it conducted a nuclear test.

Both Russia and China have agreed in principle to sanctions over Iran’s refusal to heed an Aug 31 Security Council ultimatum to freeze uranium enrichment and sharply increase cooperation with the IAEA in the Vienna-based agency’s probe of its suspect nuclear activities.

Still both countries continue to publicly push for dialogue instead of UN punishments.—AP