The United States has urged a reluctant China and Russia to agree on sanctions against Iran, as officials from six world powers meet in Paris to discuss Iran's nuclear program.
U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns called Tuesday on Beijing and Moscow to work quickly to agree on a resolution against Iran.
Earlier Tuesday in Brussels, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia supports a ban on shipments to Iran of technology and material related to uranium enrichment. But he also said imposing tough sanctions on Iran for pursuing uranium enrichment would be irresponsible and counterproductive.
Diplomats from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany, are meeting to discuss possible sanctions against Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator says the country will complete its nuclear research by March. He told an Iranian state news network that the International Atomic Energy Agency will supervise the work.
The country defied an August 31 U.N. deadline for suspending its nuclear enrichment program.
The United States and its allies believe Iran's nuclear activities are aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge and says it is pursuing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.