Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, urged the U.N. not to bend to U.S. pressure.
"The raison d'etre of the United Nations is to promote global peace and tranquility," he told the General Assembly. "Therefore, any license for pre-emptive measures which are essentially based on gauging intentions rather than objective facts ... is a blatant contradiction to the very foundation of the United Nations and the letter and the spirit of its charter."
Washington had been a key force in trying to marshal enough support at Monday's board meeting of the Vienna-based IAEA for referral. But in comments Wednesday, Rice indirectly acknowledged that drive was faltering.
"I am not so concerned about exactly when it happens," Rice told the Fox News Editorial Board, "because I don't think this matter is so urgent that it has to come on Sept. 19."
The European Union has taken the lead in trying to persuade Iran to halt development of nuclear activities that could be used to make weapons in exchange for economic concessions.
The European official said that - as of Thursday - any resolution in Vienna demanding immediate referral to the Security Council would have "only a slim majority of two or three countries" on the 35-member IAEA board.
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