U.S. diplomat says Iran resolution 'punitive'

TEL AVIV - U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said on Thursday a new draft resolution against Iran agreed by major powers over its nuclear work would be punitive, despite Russian remarks to the contrary.

"This resolution will be punitive. I saw some comments from Moscow yesterday saying it will not be punitive. That's not correct. It's a punitive resolution," Burns told reporters during a visit to Israel, without elaborating on the wording of the draft resolution.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow on Wednesday the measures in the draft "do not have a tough sanctioning character".

World powers agreed on Tuesday on the outline of a third sanctions resolution against Iran over its disputed nuclear work, but diplomats said the draft did not contain the punitive economic measures Washington had been seeking.

The United States has spearheaded a drive for new sanctions and had been pushing for a new resolution to impose a ban on business with leading Iranian state banks.

Burns said the resolution would be presented to the United Nations later in the day.

"We expect a debate of several weeks and then we expect a successful vote in a third resolution against Iran," Burns said before a meeting with Israeli officials on strategy towards the Islamic Republic.

"These are sanctions intended to pressure the Iranian government, to let the Iranian government know that it has no future in continuing its enrichment programme," he said.

Iranian leaders vowed on Wednesday to press on with its nuclear programme regardless of any new U.N. sanctions. The United States and other Western powers fear Iran's nuclear activities are aimed at building atomic weapons. Oil-rich Iran says its nuclear work is intended to generate electricity.