President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched an attack against "Zionists who dominate the world" in a message marking the Iranian new year, while supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned against "enemy conspiracies" he said were aimed at dividing the Iranian people and weakening the nation.

Ahmadinejad has said he wants to address the Security Council, which was to begin crucial bargaining on Wednesday on whether to approve new sanctions proposed by six major powers against Tehran.

The draft toughens UN sanctions already imposed in December in response to Tehran's continued refusal to halt sensitive nuclear fuel work, which the West fears could be diverted to make atomic weapons.

"Enemies want to create problems by creating divisions among people and making economic problems to halt Iran's march to progress," Khamenei said in his New Year message carried on the official IRNA news agency.

He said unnamed foes wanted to sow "ethnic, social and religious" divisions. "They are trying to create conflicts between Shiites and Sunnis everywhere possible in the Islamic world to weaken the greatness of the Iranian people."

Ahmadinejad said Iran was determined to defend its position in the nuclear standoff, complaining that the world was dominated by a "handful of racist Zionists who intend to keep the world in a state of hardship, hostility and poverty."

"The best solution for them is the recognise Iran's rights so we can end the impasse," he said.

"By using insitutions they created and dominated, they tried to prevent the Iranian people from continuing on its path but they failed."