VIENNA, Nov. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States and the European Union (EU) have decided to postpone the referral of Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council during a meeting this week, diplomats here said Monday.

    The decision was aimed at giving Russia more time to persuade Tehran to accept a compromise plan, which would require Iran to transfer its uranium enrichment activities to Russia, the APA news agency quoted the diplomats as saying.

    If accepted, the plan, proposed by Moscow, would in theory deprive Iran of the conditions to produce weapons-grade nuclear fuels, thus easing the anxiety of Washington and Brussels over Tehran's nuclear program.

    The United States and the EU had earlier agreed to the Russian proposal in principle, but Iran stressed repeatedly that it aims to enrich uranium on its own soil, saying it is a sovereign right it would never renounce.

    Also on Monday, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington that his country will stick to diplomacy in efforts to solve Iran's nuclear disputes although "given Iran's past behavior that it should be referred to the United Nations Security Council."

    "We will reserve the right to seek that action at the time of our choosing. We believe that at this point in time we do have the votes for referral to the Security Council," McCormack said at a news briefing.

    The United States and the EU fear that Iran is using a civilian nuclear power program to hide covert development of atomic weapons, something Iran has denied.

    The 35-nation board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is due to meet in Vienna on Thursday to discuss the development of Iran's nuclear issue since it called on Iran in September to cease all nuclear fuel work, cooperate with an IAEA investigation and return to talks with the EU. Enditem