New York - The world's major powers agreed on Friday on a new Security Council resolution calling on Iran to halt its nuclear activities, but did not seek additional sanctions against the Tehran regime.

The council's five permanent members - the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain - plus Germany touted the new resolution as a show of unity after the UN-backed International Atomic Energy Agency last week said that Iran was expanding its uranium enrichment programme and not cooperating fully with the agency's investigators.

The three-paragraph text calls on Iran to "fully comply, without delay, with its obligations" under past Security Council resolutions and to halt uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to build nuclear weapons.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that a new set of sanctions was "not timely" and called for more talks with Iran, despite US, French and British calls last week for more consequences after the IAEA report.

A previously scheduled ministerial gathering to discuss a new set of sanctions had been cancelled. Russia had pulled out of the meeting Wednesday, citing a busy schedule during the annual United Nations summit of world leaders. Russia and China have been reluctant to endorse more sanctions against Iran.

Lavrov said that the new resolution meant "no one would have any doubt" that the six countries were united in their call for Iran to halt enrichment and cooperate with UN inspectors.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice noted that three rounds of sanctions have already been slapped on Iran by the Security Council in the past. On Wednesday she voiced agreement with Russia that more time was needed for talks on additional actions.

Rice said that the six powers would continue pursuing a "dual- track strategy" against Iran, which involves offering economic incentives if Tehran halts its programme and leaves open more sanctions if the nuclear activities continue.

The resolution was submitted during a Security Council special meeting in New York. A vote is unlikely before Wednesday, according to Western diplomatic sources.

Lower-level officials expressed confidence that talks on further measures may resume in the coming weeks.

Rice, during an earlier Security Council meeting on Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, chided the Security Council for not focussing on the biggest threats to international peace.

The US expected the 15-nation Security Council to address Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for the "destruction" of Israel during his speech Tuesday to the General Assembly, she said.

"When this council decides what really needs to be taken up as a threat to international peace and security, that to me makes the top of the list," Rice said.

Western countries suspect Iran of seeking the capability to develop nuclear weapons, while Tehran maintains its programme is solely for producing civilian nuclear energy. (dpa)