US mulls early January as the time to push for a new round of sanctions against the Islamic Republic over the country's nuclear dossier, seeking Russia and China's support, reported Press TV.
Associated Press quoted unnamed US officials as saying on Friday that the Obama administration is reaching out to its European Allies as well as Russia and China to win support for imposing UN sanctions against Iran.
The US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, raised the issue with European foreign ministers at high-level meetings in Athens and Brussels this week ahead of a summit of European leaders, the officials added in condition of anonymity.
According to the sources, Clinton discussed imposing more sanctions against Iran with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov on the sideline of the NATO meeting in Brussels. The US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, is also scheduled to visit China to win the Asian country's backing for the move next week.
The officials mentioned that the sanction package was not yet "coherent," as disagreements still loom in this regard.
Certain names of Iranian companies and organizations were highlighted in earlier drafts, while imposing sanctions on Iranian Oil companies still need more study as major sanctions on the oil sector could affect world markets.
Last Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency passed a new resolution against Iran over the construction of the Fordo enrichment plant, located outside Tehran.
Iran branded the resolution as a "politically-motivated" move, harming "the constructive atmosphere of cooperation."
Tehran has maintained that it will continue cooperation with the IAEA but has also warned that attempts aimed at denying Iran its nuclear rights could force the country not to venture beyond its legal obligations.