A Western diplomat, who asked not to be named, told AFP the most conciliatory stance the United States would take would be "not to oppose" EU negotiators Britain, France and Germany in the agreement they worked out for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment.

The deal put forward by the European trio was aimed at keeping the UN nuclear watchdog from referring Iran to the UN Security Council, which could impose punishing sanctions.

The United States is "waiting to see the resolution," which Britain, France and Germany are in the first stages of working on ahead of a meeting November 25 of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the diplomat said.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday that Washington has information that Iran is seeking to adapt missiles to carry nuclear warheads, in the latest US charge that Tehran is clearly trying to build the bomb.

The United States has been trying for almost two years to get the IAEA to send the Iranian dossier to the Security Council but does not have support for a consensus on the agency's 35-nation board of governors.

Washington faces stiff opposition from non-aligned countries but also the European trio who have been stressing constructive engagement with Iran in order to get it to come clean on its atomic ambitions.

European diplomats said the resolution for next Thursday's meeting was not yet written but that the United States would like to see a so-called "trigger mechanism" that would impose a deadline on Iranian compliance, after which the matter would automatically go to the Security Council.

The EU three have resisted such clauses in the past.

The diplomats said the resolution would be based on the agreement worked out with Iran and on an IAEA report that said that after a two-year investigation the agency had found no proof of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program but could not yet conclude there was no covert activity.

"But we are in the IAEA context so other things do come in," said the diplomat, referring to the fact that the IAEA will be making a decision about how to proceed in the future with Iran.

Tehran agreed to suspend uranium enrichment, the process that makes fuel for nuclear reactors but can also be used to manufacture the explosive core of atomic bombs, in a deal Sunday with the European trio.

The suspension is to start next Monday, with IAEA inspectors already in Iran and ready to verify it, experts close to the IAEA told AFP.

In mid-December the two sides are scheduled to begin talks on building long-term guarantees on Iran's peaceful intentions as well as a package of incentives for Tehran.

The Europeans insist the suspension will last for the length of these talks but the Iranians have hinted at a shorter timeframe, raising concern among IAEA diplomats.

In a surprise development, an exiled Iranian resistance group claimed Wednesday that Iran was hiding a uranium enrichment facility in Tehran and aims to get the atomic bomb next year.

A European diplomat said the resistance charge "has got everyone excited" at the IAEA.

Iran, which says its nuclear program is a peaceful effort to generate electricy, angrily denied the accusation, and said the IAEA could visit the site.

The White House said Thursday that it could not verify the charge.

But US presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said Iran should "follow through" on the suspension deal.

"We expect Iran to cooperate fully with the IAEA. They've spent quite a bit of time over the years hiding their program and their intentions," said McClellan.

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