Russia could support a new UN Security Council resolution on Iran if it does not stop uranium enrichment, Russian envoy to the UNVitaly Churkin said on Wednesday.

"A new UN Security Council resolution is based on Article 41 of Chapter 7 and envisions economic sanctions against Iran related to the nonproliferation activity," Churkin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies speaking from New York during a television program.

This resolution "will be an additional guarantee that Iranian activities will not create an unacceptable danger for the international community from the point of view of the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons," he said.

"It is not about punishment but about a strategy ... It is practically limited to the proliferation risk sphere," Churkin said.

"Normal economic activities, normal economic relations with Iran won't be affected, but the resolution would apply to Iranian organizations and individuals that are known to be engaging in activities that entail proliferation risks," Churkin said.

It would be the first resolution to credit Iran with cooperating with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he said.

France, Britain and Germany formally introduced a draft resolution to the UN Security Council Thursday that calls for further sanctions against Iran over its refusal to suspend sensitive nuclear enrichment activities.

However, Iran has downplayed the effect of possible new sanctions, saying Tehran would show a "serious and logical reaction" if the UN Security Council issues a third resolution.

The UN Security Council has adopted two resolutions – one in December 2006 and the other in March 2007 – in attempts to force Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment activities and give up its controversial nuclear programs.

The Untied States and other western countries have accused Iran of using a civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons, a charge repeatedly denied by Tehran.

(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2008)