Rice demands UN action on Iran nuclear dispute

reuters: The United States on Thursday demanded swift action to drag Iran to the
U.N. Security Council over its atomic ambitions, while Russia and China urged caution.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a visit to Syria in a signal to the world that the two regional allies, each facing threats of referral to the council, will not be cowed.

"On Iran, we have been very clear that the time has come for a referral to the Security Council," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Washington.

She did not mention Russia, but she was speaking a day after the European Union said it was mulling a Russian proposal that would stop short of formally referring Iran to the council.

A formal referral would mean Iran could face sanctions over the West's suspicions it is pursuing a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its only goal is to produce atomic energy for civilian use.

Moscow wants Iran to be simply "reported" to the council, which could then discuss its case but there would be a lack of legal weight and there would no potential for "consequences," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana explained on Wednesday. Read more