Iran's ongoing nuclear programme stood high on the agenda as diplomats gathered Monday for a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The regular meeting of the IAEA's governing board came amid signs that world powers have been drawing closer together on supporting new sanctions against the Islamic state, DPA reported.
Security Council members said last week they expected to vote on new measures soon to pressure Iran to halt its uranium enrichment and cooperate fully with the IAEA.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday in Berlin that they plan to cooperate on punitive measures.
The last report by IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano urged Tehran's leaders to answer open questions about possible nuclear weapons development projects.
World powers including the US are also worried about the fact that Iran boosted part of its uranium enrichment to 20 per cent in February, despite an international offer to have this work done in Russia and France.
Iran's IAEA envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh made clear last week that his country would continue enriching at this higher level even if there were agreement on the multilateral proposal to make fuel for a medical-use reactor in Tehran.
But Iran was not the only Middle Eastern country in the IAEA board's spotlight.
Arab countries succeeded on having Israel included on the agenda, for the first time since 1991. Diplomats were also set to discuss Syria, which has not cooperated with an IAEA probe into its alleged secret nuclear programme.