Members of the UN Security Council are to continue discussing a draft resolution imposing further sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, in the run up to a vote.

The 15-member council agreed on Thursday to hold talks on the text for a third round of sanctions against Tehran early Friday.

"Our intention is to vote on the resolution as soon as possible, probably on Saturday," John Sawers, Britain's ambassador to the UN, said.

The draft renews a council demand that Iran suspend its uranium enrichment program, which many council members fear is designed to create a nuclear weapon.

Tehran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is purely for generating electricity.

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The new text includes a travel ban on officials involved in Tehran's nuclear and missile programs, as well as inspections of suspicious import and export shipments.

The draft has already been agreed by the five veto-wielding members of the council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, meaning it is very likely to be adopted.

Britain, France sand Germany, co-sponsors of the text, say they are confident that they have sufficient support among the council's 10 non-permanent members for a resolution to pass.

However, Indonesia, Libya, South Africa and Vietnam, all non-permanent council members, have said that further sanctions may be unnecessary.

Abdul Minty, South Africa's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear watchdog, said the latest report by the agency's chief Mohamed ElBaradei showed "increasing confidence that Iran does not intend to use its nuclear program for military purposes."

But Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president called on Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s president, to back the sanctions draft on Thursday, during a visit to Cape Town, calling it "necessary to do something to avoid the worst."

Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, said the council had to take a tough line against Iran, despite Moscow's close energy and economic ties.

Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, called the Security Council's charges "baseless", in a letter to Ban Ki-Moon, the UN's secretary-general.

PHOTO CAPTION

Aerial view of the United Nations in midtown Manhattan in New York City.

Al-Jazeera