"I think we're down to a couple of issues in the resolution," McCormack said after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed remaining obstacles to agreement on Monday with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

The spokesman predicted a unanimous vote on the 15-member Security Council following months of arduous negotiations among the council's five permanent members that saw Russia repeatedly seek to water down the sanctions terms.

Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns has been in touch with some of his counterparts from the other four Security Council permanent members -- Britain, China, France and Russia -- as diplomats in New York worked "intensively" on drafting a resolution acceptable to all, he said.

"This should be a 15-0 vote," he said.

Earlier Tuesday Lavrov said the latest revised draft resolution under discussion in New York "largely reflects our approach".

"The proposal focuses on those spheres of nuclear activity that concern the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) -- enrichment of uranium, chemical processing and heavy water programmes as well as limiting deliveries... of goods and technology related to creating nuclear weapons delivery systems," Lavrov said.

"We think that on that basis it will be possible to achieve a consensus decision of the UN Security Council that would induce the Iranians to sit down at the negotiating table and ensure active and full cooperation with the IAEA on all remaining questions about Iran's nuclear activities," Lavrov said.

The draft submitted by Britain, France and Germany would impose a mandatory ban on trade with Iran in goods related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and place financial restrictions on persons and entities involved in the sectors.

It was not immediately clear if a proposed travel ban on persons involved in the targetted sectors was still being considered after Russia strongly objected to the provision.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Tuesday that Iran would retaliate if the UN Security Council imposed the sanctions.

"The European countries should know that if they insist on preventing Iran's moves (in its nuclear work), we will consider this behaviour a hostile act and we will react in return," he said in a speech broadcast on state television.

He did not specify what this retaliation would involve, but some officials have floated the idea of reducing cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, possibly by restricting inspections of its atomic facilities.

Tehran spurned an August 31 UN deadline to freeze uranium enrichment, a process which can provide fuel for nuclear reactors but also, in highly refined form, material for the core of a nuclear bomb.

Western powers suspect the Islamic Republic is seeking to acquire a nuclear weapons capability under the cover of its civilian nuclear program.

Tehran insists its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.

earlier related report
Russia opposes travel ban against Iran in UN sanctions
United Nations Dec 18 (AFP) Dec 18 - Russia on Monday stuck to its rejection of a proposed travel ban on Iranian nuclear and missile experts as six major powers sought anew to narrow differences on UN sanctions against Tehran over its refusal to freeze uranium enrichment.

Envoys of the five veto-wielding Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany met informally for two hours and agreed to hold another bargaining session Tuesday.

"We think this travel ban does not fit, it is something which is not necessary...It's not going to help anything," Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters.

But US acting ambassador to the UN Alejandro Wolff retorted: "We believe the travel ban is a priority and an important element of this resolution."

A draft resolution drafted by Britain, France and Germany would slap a ban on trade with Iran on goods related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and financial and travel restrictions on persons and entities involved.

Churkin added that although Moscow accepted the need for financial restrictions regarding prohibited nuclear-related activities, "we have agreed with" a proposed list of such restrictions.

Russia and China, which have close energy and economic ties with Iran, have pushed to water down the European draft resolution.

But over the weekend Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a consensus was forming around a revised draft put forward by the Europeans earlier this month.

"I hope that it is entirely realistic to come to a consensus in the days remaining before the New Year if our partners take a realistic approach and do not insist on certain positions which we are convinced have nothing to do with the task before us," Lavrov was quoted by Russian media as saying.

Britain's UN envoy Emyr Jones Parry said envoys of the six powers planned to meet again before briefing their colleagues from the 10 non-permanent members of the Council Tuesday.

"A proposal is on the table to try and cover all the (outstanding) points," he added. "Wednesday we will see where we are."

Last week, Western diplomats said they expected a deal by Christmas and Monday a senior US official in Washington said the council would adopt the Iran sanctions within days.

"There will be sanctions passed against Iran in the next several days at the United Nations," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told CNN after President George W. Bush signed a controversial civilian nuclear deal with India, which is already a nuclear weapons power.

Tehran has spurned an August 31 UN deadline to freeze uranium enrichment, a process which can provide fuel for nuclear reactors but also, in highly refined form, material for the core of a nuclear bomb.

Western powers suspect the Islamic Republic is seeking to acquire a nuclear weapons capability under the cover of its civilian nuclear program.

Tehran insists its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.

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