| The United States has agreed with China on the basis for more United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, and said a deal could be reached if Russia is brought on board, a top diplomat said on Monday. World powers held a meeting on Saturday aimed at agreeing more UN sanctions against Iran, which a French diplomat has said could lead to a deal on punitive measures within weeks, despite previous opposition from China and Russia. “We were able, with the Chinese government, to focus on a number of areas where we would agree to sanctions,” said Nicholas Burns, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, speaking to reporters in Singapore. A decision on new sanctions could not be reached on Saturday as Russia’s envoy was prevented from flying to the meeting in Paris because of snow in Canada. “Now if we can bring the Russians on board, I think we’ll have the makings of a third Security Council resolution,” Burns said. |