The UN Security Council is considering imposing a third round of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme and may reach an agreement within weeks.

While the closed-door talks on Saturday produced no firm decision, an unnamed official was reported as saying a compromise text on a new resolution would soon be circulated.

"There are elements that allow us to think we will have a resolution in the short term," he said, adding he was "relatively optimistic" about having a resolution in the next few weeks.

US officials declined to comment after the talks.

Nicholas Burns, the US undersecretary of state and America's chief participant in the negotiations, left France immediately afterwards.

Talks were also held up as Sergei Kislyak, the Russian deputy foreign minister who was scheduled to attend, was stuck in Canada because of snow and a colleague attended in his place.

Saturday's talks came a day after Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, met Saeed Jalili, Iran's nuclear negotiator.

Solana said the meeting in London had been "a disaster".

Mixed messages

The US, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany agreed in September to delay sanctions against Iran until the end of November, pending reports on an investigation by the UN nuclear watchdog and a EU mediation effort.

They had decided that if the reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Solana did not show "a positive outcome", they would agree on more sanctions against Iran and put it to a vote in the security council.

The IAEA report found Iran was co-operating, but not proactively, making it likely that Britain, the United States and France will resume their push for sanctions.

In previous meetings, Russia and China, which have strong trade ties with Iran, have agreed only to the mildest of measures.

'New ideas'

Tehran had promised to bring "new ideas" to the table for the London talks but Cristina Gallach, Solana's spokeswoman, said: "There was not enough new in order not to be disappointed."

However, Jalili said on Saturday that Iran was not to blame for the disappointment expressed by Solana.

"The fact is that we defended the Iranian nation's rights and stressed fulfilling our duties and that the Iranian nation will not accept anything that goes beyond the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," he said.

"If some people have become disappointed because they cannot deprive Iran of its natural rights then this is another matter," he told reporters after arriving back in Tehran.

Tehran rejects charges it is pursuing nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian atomic programme.

It says it only wants to generate electricity, but its failure to allay international fears has prompted two rounds of UN sanctions.

PHOTO CAPTION 

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili(R) and his deputy Javad Vaidi converse at Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran. [AFP]

 Al-Jazeera