September 28, 2007 (LPAC)--The U.S., Britain and France agreed with Russia and China today to delay until November any new U.N. sanctions against Iran, to wait for the result of an accord between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran authorities, signed in July. The joint statement of the six nations says they "welcome" that accord, even though the U.S. had opposed it until now.

Now, according to the joint statement, the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council will defer the consideration of more sanctions until EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBaradei report to them on Iran's nuclear efforts. That report should come by Nov. 30.

"We call upon Iran, however, to produce tangible results rapidly and effectively by clarifying all outstanding issues and concerns on Iran's nuclear program including topics which could have the military nuclear dimension," the statement said. "Full transparency and cooperation by Iran with the IAEA is essential in order to address outstanding concerns," it said.

Asked whether the joint statement now was tantamount to a cave-in by the U.S., the State Department's No. 3, Nicholas Burns said "the alchemy of this group is such that anything is going to be a compromise." His chief, Condi Rice, had denounced the IAEA for overstepping its bounds in making a deal with Iran. "The IAEA is not in the business of diplomacy," she had said earlier this month.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, said to reporters nonetheless that the agreement with China and Russia "was a success" and "there is a good compromise."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the support given to the efforts of Solana and ElBaradei, and said it was "good that eventually those who have had doubts about continuing Solana's talks with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani changed their mind," without mentioning Rice.

During his address to the UN General Assembly, Lavrov had pointed to "the joint initiative of the presidents of Russia and the United States put forward at their meeting in Kennebunkport" as the right approach to the case of Iran in particular. "Urgent steps are needed to strengthen the non-proliferation regime, while providing legitimate access of all the states to the benefits of the peaceful use of nuclear energy," he stated.