BERLIN, Sept 8: The United States wants a UN Security Council resolution on imposing sanctions on Iran over its contested nuclear program drafted as early as next week, US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said on Friday.

This would allow foreign ministers from the six nations trying to win guarantees that Iran will not make nuclear weapons to ‘complete a sanctions resolution’ when they meet in New York at the UN General Assembly the week after next, Mr Burns said.

But Mr Burns told a press event at the American Academy think tank here that the six nations — the five permanent Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany — “did not come to an agreement” on punitive measures when they met in Berlin Thursday.

Russia and China, which are major trading partners of Iran, are reluctant to impose sanctions on Iran, fearing an escalation of the confrontation and possibly even war.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who is to meet with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani Saturday, said no UN sanctions would be imposed on Iran as long as such talks continued.

“I can tell you that there will be no movement in New York (towards sanctions) as long as meetings with Mr. Larijani continue,” Solana said during a visit to Copenhagen on Friday.—AFP