In Washington, Bush’s National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley, said that he was not aware of any such letter, and he reiterated the administration’s position on Iran’s nuclear programme. “The international community has been very clear to Iran what it needs to do,” Hadley said on a TV show. “It needs to return to the suspension of its nuclear activities in order to open the door for a diplomatic resolution.”

Meanwhile, six foreign ministers prepared on Monday to chart a common course on a UNSC resolution that would order Tehran to suspend its nuclear programmes. So far, however, the ministers, invited to a dinner in New York by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have not agreed on key points of the proposed measure, such as invoking Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, used in dozens of Council resolutions for peacekeeping missions and other legally binding actions.

Russia and China, which have veto power, fear too much pressure on Iran would be self-defeating or precipitate an oil crisis. Both worry the US would use the resolution to justify military action.