Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in Washington that the US may initiate action to haul Iran before the UN Security Council if it goes ahead with atomic fuel research.(file photo)

    BEIJING, Jan.6 (Xinhuanet) -- US has denied the contention that its policy towards Iran has gone soft, insisting that it has been building support from among Europeans and India over the issue as well as seeking the backing of Russia, China and India in the past year.

    "I don't think there is any doubt that we will want to demonstrate that we have given diplomacy a chance. And, sometimes it takes a little time to give diplomacy a chance," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in Washington.

    She said the US may initiate action to haul Iran before the UN Security Council if it decides to go ahead with its latest threat to resume atomic fuel research.

    "They shouldn't do it because it would really be a sign that they are not prepared to actually make diplomacy work...in terms of the next phase, if negotiations have been exhausted, we have the votes, there is a resolution sitting there on the Security Council, we'll vote it."

    She, however, declined to give a timeline for such action but said "the Iranians are digging their own hole of isolation deeper and deeper." Enditem    (Agencies)