Iran 'defying UN call on uranium'

Mr Miliband made clear that Britain would not be deflected from its demands for a new UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on the Tehran regime, despite a new US intelligence assessment that it had suspended its nuclear weapons programme.

"The origins of that sanctions resolution are in the defiance by Iran of the international community in respect of uranium enrichment," Mr Miliband said.

"That defiance remains the case today."

The Foreign Secretary was speaking following talks in London with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Mr Yang refused to be drawn on whether China - like Britain one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council - would be prepared to back a sanctions resolution at the UN in New York.

"We hope that the Iran nuclear issue will get resolved appropriately through peaceful and diplomatic means," he said.

Both men insisted they would continue to work together for a resolution to the issue despite China's reluctance along with Russia to support new sanctions against Tehran.

Mr Yang said their talks - some of which took place in a pod on the London Eye - were intended to pave the way for Prime Minister Gordon Brown's visit to China in January.

"We believe that his visit will be a big boost to the development of the China-UK relationship," he said.