The US is ready to give European allies only until June to cajole Iran before Washington seeks UN sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme, US diplomatic documents show.

US officials in Vienna circulated a position paper for discussion to members of the UN nuclear watchdog's governing board on Thursday, as President George W Bush toured Europe.

Washington will not push the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer Iran's case to the Security Council when it meets next week. But the next quarterly meeting in mid-June will differ.

PHOTO CAPTION

A desk is set for a joint press conference between the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, and the head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency, Alexander Rumyantsev, which was postponed in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005. (AP)