The UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday formally took up a European draft resolution mandating sanctions against Iran for its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear fuel work, after Russia and the United States offered amendments to the text.
It was the first time that the entire 15-member council held formal private consultations on the draft, prepared by Britain, France and Germany.
The text has already been the subject of two informal meetings among envoys of Germany and of the council's five veto-wielding members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States over the past two weeks.
It mandates nuclear- and ballistic-missile-related trade sanctions. It also calls for a freeze on assets related to Iran's nuclear and missile programs and travel bans on scientists involved in those programs.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, US Ambassador John Bolton said the Russian amendments were not "consistent with" what foreign ministers of the six major powers had agreed last summer.
But his Russian counterpart, Vitaly Churkin, disagreed, saying after the council consultations: "We believe our approach, our proposals are fully in conformity with the understanding by the ministers."
"We have not proposed our own draft," Churkin said, insisting that there were "no major gaps" between his suggestions and the European text.
He however said Moscow was pressing for the removal of some elements which it felt did not belong in the text.
Bolton meanwhile said envoys of the permanent members and Germany would meet again informally on Tuesday afternoon "to discuss the Russian text and the US amendments."
Last week Churkin made it clear that the purpose of any future Security Council action was to encourage Iran to come back to the negotiating table, not to turn it away from negotiations.
He said such action must leave the open door to future discussions with the Iranians. Asked to comment on reports that Washington was insisting on describing the Iranian nuclear program as "a threat to international peace and security", Churkin replied on Tuesday "We don't see it that way."
At a meeting of the six major powers last on Friday, Russia suggested extensive changes to the draft text and the Americans also offered their own amendments.
"The Russian amendments narrow the scope of the sanctions while the US proposals would broaden the scope of the sanctions," a Western diplomat close to the discussions said.
The European draft would allow Russia to continue building the one-billion-dollar nuclear power plant in Bushehr -- an exemption that diplomats say is crucial to efforts to gain Moscow's approval.
Churkin however opposed any mention in the draft of Russian help to the Bushehr project, saying that in his view Bushehr has nothing to do with concerns about nuclear proliferation because it is a peaceful nuclear power plant.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also slammed the European draft during talks with top EU officials in Brussels.
Although Lavrov voiced willingness to apply "reasonable" and "proportional" measures against Iran, he warned that the European draft went too far.
Lavrov said that "measures which we would introduce would have to be reasonable, take account of the real situation, should be proportional given
the actual situation as regards the nuclear program in Iran and should also be in stages."
A diplomatic source said Moscow also opposed the proposed travel ban and assets freeze in the draft and would only accept a ban on "sensitive" technologies.
Iran faces sanctions after spurning an August 31 Security Council deadline to halt its uranium enrichment program -- a process that can eventually provide fissile material for nuclear weapons.
Tehran insists the program is entirely peaceful and geared toward generating electricity.
The six powers have offered Tehran a package of economic and diplomatic incentives if it gives up the enrichment program.