UNITED NATIONS, May 3: The United States, Britain and France introduced a UN Security Council resolution on Wednesday demanding Iran suspend uranium enrichment that the West suspects are part of a secret nuclear weapons programme.

The text, which is still opposed by Russia and China, does not contain sanctions but goes further than a Security Council approved in late March. It threatens to consider unspecified ‘further measures as may be necessary’ to ensure Iran’s compliance — a veiled warning of sanctions the West wants if Iran does not comply.

The draft calls on all nations to ‘exercise vigilance’ in preventing the transfer of materials and technology ‘that could contribute to Iran’s enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and missile programmes’.

The resolution is under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which makes it legally binding. It gives Iran another chance to comply prior to a deadline that has not yet been decided, but diplomats hoped it would be in early June.—Reuters