The United States, four European powers and China have agreed on the framework for a new UN resolution toughening sanctions on Iran, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said yesterday.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany "are fully in agreement on the framework of a new resolution", said Douste-Blazy.

The breakthrough came during a telephone conference call held Thursday between political directors from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

Washington reported progress

during the two-hour talks, with US officials saying that another conference call was scheduled for Saturday and that work on the draft text could begin next week.

The foreign minister said that the new resolution would be drafted under the terms of article 41 of the UN charter, which authorises the Security Council to take all necessary measures, except military ones, to enforce its resolutions.

"The political directors also discussed the broad outlines of the contents of the new resolution," said the minister.

The UN Security Council slapped sanctions on Iran in December, including a ban on the

sale of nuclear-related materials to the Islamic Republic and a freeze on financial assets of Iranians involved in illicit atomic research.

The push for the new resolution came after a report from the UN nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, last week which said that Iran had not halted, but in fact was expanding, its uranium enrichment programme.

The United States and some other western powers believe Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability.

Iran however has denied seeking nuclear weapons, and asserts it has a right to a peaceful nuclear programme.