UNITED NATIONS, May 9: Key Security Council nations agreed on Tuesday to present Iran with a choice of benefits or sanctions to consider in deciding whether to suspend uranium enrichment, a move that will delay a UN resolution to curb Iran’s nuclear programme, a European official said.

Political directors of the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France as well as Germany made the decision to present Tehran with the options at a meeting following more than three hours of talks by their foreign ministers on Monday night that failed to reach agreement on the resolution.

The Chinese and Russians have balked at British, French and US efforts to advance a Security Council resolution making mandatory its previous demand that Iran suspend uranium enrichment under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter. This would declare Iran a threat to international peace and security and set the stage for further measures if Tehran refuses to comply — ranging from breaking diplomatic relations to economic sanctions and military action.

As a result of Tuesday’s decision, political directors from the three European countries that had been spearheading negotiations with Iran will spend the next few days preparing a package of benefits and sanctions, the official said.

The package will be presented to European Union foreign ministers on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Brussels next week, and when approved will be presented to the Iranian government, the official said.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier foreshadowed the decision, telling reporters at a news conference after Monday night’s dinner that the Europeans planned to launch a new initiative alongside their effort to win approval of the resolution.

“In the coming days, we want to once again, as we did last summer, outline to Iran what kind of advantages we might offer to them if they are willing to comply with the demands of the international community, and what possibility there would be for further cooperation,” Mr Steinmeier said.

The Europeans want the Iranian people to know that they are heading down ‘a path that would lead them into isolation if they were not to comply with the demands of the international community’, he said.

Mr Steinmeier said the Europeans would have to talk about details of the new package of ‘advantages’ that would be offered to Iran. “But I’m optimistic on the basis of the discussion we had tonight,” he said.

France’s Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy also said that the discussion focused ‘on the ways of presenting a set of both incentive and deterrent measures’ to Iran.—AP