TEHRAN, Feb 24: Russia and China stepped up their efforts on Friday to persuade Iran to accept a compromise proposal over its nuclear programme that may avert the threat of UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom, and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Lu Guozeng arrived in Tehran for three days of talks over Iran’s nuclear impasse.

Time is running out for Iran to avoid formal referral to the UN Security Council at a board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna on March 6.

Iran has offered UN inspectors information about a uranium-processing project that Western intelligence has linked to warhead design, a senior diplomat in Vienna said on Thursday.

The diplomat, close to the IAEA but asking not to be named, said IAEA inspectors would be in Tehran this weekend to check the information on the “Green Salt Project”.

Russian officials have played down expectations of a breakthrough at the Tehran talks and analysts say Iran is in no mood to compromise.

High oil prices and US problems in Iraq meant that for Iran “this is probably not the time to concede,” the International Crisis Group think-tank said in a new report.

It said it expected Iran “to press ahead, strengthening its position for the day genuine negotiations or confrontation with the US might begin.”

Senior cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani told worshippers at Friday prayers in Tehran that Iran was telling the West: “Nuclear energy is so entwined with our honour and dignity that we will never let your ominous plans be implemented.”

Worshippers responded with chants of “God is Greatest” and “Nuclear energy is our indisputable right”.

SANCTIONS: Russia and China, both of whom have burgeoning energy and trade ties with Tehran and veto rights on the Security Council, do not favour the use of sanctions against Iran, which denies any intention of making nuclear arms.