U.S. says major powers consider new Iran sanctions

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Britain said major powers agreed on Wednesday to consider more U.N. sanctions against Iran after Tehran failed to freeze its nuclear activities, but Russia said there was no firm deal.

A British Foreign Office spokesman said the six powers had agreed in a conference call that "while informal contact between (EU foreign policy chief Javier) Solana and (Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed) Jalili will continue, we have no choice but to pursue further sanctions against Iran."

U.S. State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said after the conference call: "The P5+1 (major powers) are discussing next steps in the U.N. Security Council and beginning to consider possible outlines of another sanctions resolution."

But at the United Nations, Russia's ambassador Vitaly Churkin said there was no definite agreement among the six powers for a fourth round of sanctions against Iran

He told reporters some of the six powers trying to persuade Iran to freeze nuclear enrichment had raised the idea of more sanctions, but added: "There have been no firm agreements or understandings or any kind of concerted work in this regard."

The call came after Iran gave a noncommittal, one-page letter to major powers on Tuesday containing no reply to an offer by Russia, China, the United States, Germany, Britain and France to refrain from seeking more U.N. penalties if Iran freezes expansion of its nuclear work.

Iran promised a "clear response" at an unspecified date.

MONTHS OF NEGOTIATIONS

While threatening more U.N. sanctions, the United States conceded it could take months to get them through, as happened in the past three rounds of sanctions negotiations, because of Chinese and Russian resistance to the move.

"I am not going to guess how long this will take and where it may ultimately lead," Gallegos said when pressed whether sanctions could be agreed on before the end of the Bush administration's term in January 2009.

A European Union diplomat said there would not be immediate sanctions and dialogue should continue with the Iranians. "It's not for tomorrow," said the diplomat.

Churkin also said Moscow had not set a deadline for Iran to respond to the "freeze for freeze" offer, and that ministers from the six powers would meet in September to discuss Iran.

He made clear Russia was in no hurry to raise the issue of more sanctions. "I haven't seen any pushes here," he said.

Indonesia's U.N. ambassador, Marty Natalegawa, who represents the only country on the 15-nation Security Council that did not vote for the third round of sanctions in March, said he saw no point in the council discussing Iran now.

Rather, the six should continue their dialogue with Tehran, he said.