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The United States says that China and Russia had backed a tough draft UN sanctions resolution against Iran, even as Beijing offered support for a deal Tehran signed to stave off such a move.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the draft would be circulated on Tuesday to the UN Security Council, which includes Brazil and Turkey, who brokered a deal for Iran to ship much of its low enriched uranium (LEU) abroad.
Clinton said the United States, China and Russia -- three-veto wielding permanent Security Council members -- had reached agreement, after China had shown particular reluctance.
Washington had been working with the two powers "on the draft of a new sanctions resolution on Iran, and today I am pleased to announce... we have reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of both Russia and China," she said.
"This announcement is as convincing an answer to the efforts undertaken in Tehran over the last few days as any we could provide," Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Clinton reiterated that Washington had raised "a number of unanswered questions" about the tripartite deal struck on Monday, but welcomed what she called the "sincere efforts of both Turkey and Brazil."
For Washington, the core issue was that Iran intended to continuing enriching uranium.
