Vienna, Austria ? Pressure on Iran intensified Tuesday, with key European countries and the United States moving ahead with plans to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council and Israel vowing not to let the Iranians develop nuclear weapons.

But Russia and China – Iran’s past backers – urged negotiations instead of confrontation, casting doubt on whether next month’s International Atomic Energy Agency meeting will demonstrate a unified political will.

A meeting Monday produced no agreement on whether to refer the dispute over Iranian nuclear enrichment to the Security Council, which could impose sanctions.

A draft text by Britain proposing referral when the IAEA meets Feb. 2 reflected deference to the Russians and Chinese, stopping short of calls for punitive measures.

Instead, the text, read in part to The Associated Press by a European diplomat accredited to the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, urges the 15-nation council to press Tehran “to extend full and prompt cooperation to the agency” in its investigation of suspect nuclear activities.