DAR AL HARB/ISLAM-THE WEST/IRAN: REVISING THE 'DRAFT RESOLUTION' ON SANCTIONS FOR IRAN

Iran sanctions draft to be revised
Key world powers will revise a draft resolution on new sanctions against Iran over its atomic program and call a vote after a U.N. nuclear report on Iran is issued, Britain's U.N. envoy said on Wednesday.

Key world powers will revise a draft resolution on new sanctions against Iran over its atomic program and call a vote after a U.N. nuclear report on Iran is issued, Britain's U.N. envoy said on Wednesday.

Washington had been pushing for a swift vote on the third sanctions resolution against Iran.

But South Africa and other elected members of the U.N. Security Council have been pressing the five permanent council members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- to wait for a new progress report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran due next week.

The permanent members met with the 10 elected members to discuss the resolution. After the meeting, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, John Sawers, was asked when a vote on the resolution could be expected.

"I don't think this resolution's going to be adopted before the IAEA report comes out," Sawers told reporters. The IAEA report is expected to be released around February 20-22.

"We received various views on the text that we circulated," he said, referring to a draft sanctions resolution obtained in full by Reuters. "We're going to incorporate the views into a revised text next week and introduce it next week."

Western countries say the Vienna-based IAEA's investigation of Iran's past nuclear activities is important but has little relevance to the future of Tehran's atomic program, which they fear may one day be used to make nuclear weapons.

They say Iran's refusal to comply with Security Council demands that it stop enriching uranium supports their suspicion that Tehran is seeking atomic weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful and enrichment a sovereign right.

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1) Iran sanctions draft to be revised