U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday President George W. Bush would keep a military option on the table but remained committed to a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Iran over its nuclear program.
Iran made clear again on Wednesday it would not give up its nuclear program, which it says is only for electricity to benefit its economy, particularly to export more oil and gas.
The United Nations has already imposed limited sanctions after Iran rejected resolutions ordering it to freeze the work.
Political directors from the five permanent U.N. Security Council members — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China — plus Germany will discuss Iran on the sidelines of a Group of Eight (G8) meeting in Berlin.
"Among other things, they will discuss possible language for a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Iran," a diplomat from one of the six powers said on condition of anonymity.
Among possible future sanctions was an increase in the number of Iranian banks to be blacklisted by the United Nations, diplomats said.
China would participate via telephone, diplomats said.
U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns will represent the United States at the talks where delegates will discuss a recent meeting between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.
NO INTENTION
Solana has said the meeting was very difficult as Iran had said it had no intention of suspending uranium enrichment.
Political directors from the G8 group of leading industrialized nations would also discuss Iran to prepare for next month’s G8 summit, said diplomats from the group.
One senior official from a G8 country said the current draft of a statement on nuclear non-proliferation to be approved at the summit in Heiligendamm, Germany called for increasing pressure on Iran if it remained defiant.
Under the draft, the G8 would "support adopting further measures should Iran refuse to comply with its obligations", said the official, declining to be named.
Germany is the current G8 president. Other members are the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Japan.
Several diplomats said the major powers were satisfied with the impact sanctions were having and that Iranians were growing increasingly worried about the economic pressures.
But Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday dismissed suggestions sanctions were having an impact.
"There are two options — confrontation and cooperation. If (the West) prefer confrontation, then let’s go together …," Araghchi told the Financial Times in an interview, without elaborating.
"What has been the result of three Security Council resolutions, two introducing sanctions? Iran has quickened the pace of its peaceful activities and reduced its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency … This can go on, but the result is an escalation of the crisis."