News agencies reported from Berlin that the foreign ministers of U.N. Security Council five permanent members and Germany reached an agreement Tuesday on a new UN Security Council resolution to impose tougher sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program. The officials present in the meeting told reporters that the new draft resolution takes stronger measures to pressure Iran over its nuclear program.

“We agreed on the content of the next Security Council resolution,” Steinmeier said after the meeting in Berlin of foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany.

“We are united in the assessment that a nuclear armament of Iran would have dramatic consequences for the Middle East and even beyond,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after meeting his counterparts from the U.S., France, Britain, Russia and China.
“So we are and remain agreed that we must and will continue to work, together and with determination, to ensure that it does not happen.”

In Washington, US State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said the agreement showed Iran could not make a rift in the resoluteness of the world powers to bring its controversial nuclear program to an end.

“They’re becoming increasingly isolated and I think this shows that they aren’t able to divide us in our commitment to this effort,” the spokesman said.

The senior US official said the resolution foresaw extending the travel ban on Iranian officials along with the asset freeze on companies linked to the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme.