Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, speaking on Fox News Sunday, also outlined some of the possible sanctions Tehran could face if it fails to stop uranium enrichment by August 31, as demanded in the draft resolution.
"I think the Iranians are cornered," Burns told Fox. "The Iranians thought they were going to be able to continue their nuclear activities at their plant at Natanz unfettered by the international community.”
"What they specifically thought was that they could divide China and Russia, on the one hand, from the United States and Europe on the other, and that's not happened," he said.
"We'll be voting this week on a UN Security Council resolution that will mandate the suspension of Iran's nuclear programs, and it will say that if Iran doesn't do that by August 31 that the Security Council, including China and Russia, will agree on a sanctions regime against Iran," he said.
"I don't think Iran counted on this. I think they've been surprised by it. And it's good that we're mounting pressure," Burns said. "This is going to be a significant blow to them."
Asked what type of sanctions Iran could face, Burns said: "Obviously, we're
going to have to focus on the nuclear industry and try to cut off dual-use
exports, exports of technologies that can help them further their enrichment
and reprocessing activities.
"We certainly would like to inhibit the ability of Iranians to travel, Iranian government officials, or for people to profit from our scientific and technological expertise," he added.
The United States and its allies believe that Iran is seeking to build a nuclear bomb and US President George W. Bush said Friday the Islamic republic
"will not be allowed" to do so.
Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- the five permanent members of the Security Council -- and Germany drew up the draft resolution
during weeks of painstaking talks and it was distributed to the 15 UN Security
Council nations on Friday.
US ambassador John Bolton said a vote could be held early this week.
Russia and China have led opposition to any mention of sanctions in the resolution.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful but has refused to comply with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) orders to suspend uranium enrichment and other activities.
Iran defiant
Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has signalled that Israeli attacks against the Palestinian territories and Lebanon were causing Iran to harden its stance in the international row over its nuclear programme.
"We are examining the package, considering our interests and definitive legitimate rights and will announce our views at the appointed date," President Ahmadinejad said of an international offer of incentives in exchange for a halt to sensitive atomic work.
"But the incidents in Lebanon and Palestine have influenced our examination," said the president, whose country is a major supporter of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement as well as the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
President Ahmadinejad also asserted that "the government is determined to fully
exploit the rights of the Iranian nation," signalling Tehran's continued unwillingness to freeze its controversial uranium enrichment programme.
Iran says it only wants to enrich uranium to the levels needed for reactor fuel and that this is a right enshrined by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"Nuclear energy is clean and renewable, and all nations have the right to use it," said Ahmadinejad, who was speaking at a joint news conference with visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Enrichment can also be extended to make weapons, and lingering questions
over the nature of Iran's work has prompted a series of demands for a moratorium.
Threat on draft resolution
Iran had also threatened to bin the international proposal – which was drawn up by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany -- if the UN Security Council passes a draft resolution demanding that Tehran freeze enrichment by the end of August.
Iran had said it will take until August 22 to reply the offer that was handed to Tehran on June 6, prompting the Security Council to reinforce demands for an enrichment freeze.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Tehran could "revise" its
policies, implicitly warning that future access for UN inspectors could end.
He also said the proposed UN resolution would "worsen the crisis in the region".
"By putting pressure and trying to intimidate Iran, no country will achieve anything. On the contrary, the situation will worsen," Asefi said.