The UN Security Council will wait to take action on possible Iranian sanctions until a scheduled meeting next week between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Tehran's main negotiator Ali Larijani, the US ambassador to the UN said Thursday.

"We intend to let this meeting between Solana and Larijani take place next week, and then we will be consulting in United Nations and in capitals about where to go from there," John Bolton told reporters after a council vote on a resolution on Sudan's Darfur.

He made the remarks shortly after the Security Council received a report from Director-General Mohammed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's compliance with council resolution 1696 that requires it suspends nuclear enrichment by August 31.

The UN nuclear watchdog reported that Iran has continued enriching uranium despite a UN nuclear deadline for it to suspend or face possible sanctions.

The report "provides ample evidence of (Iranian) defiance," said Bolton, adding that the council must begin drawing up sanctions.

"There's simply no explanation for the range of Iranian behavior which we've seen over the years other than that they're pursuing a weapons capability," he said.

(Xinhua News Agnecy September 1, 2006)