United Nations ? Major powers circulated a new draft of a resolution to pressure Iran to suspend uranium enrichment with only minor amendments Thursday, and said they intend to submit it to a U.N. Security Council vote within two days.

The five veto-wielding members of the Security Council, along with Germany, rejected South Africa’s proposal for a 90-day “time out” on all sanctions.

Acting U.S. Ambassador Alejandro Wolff said the United States also rejected amendments by Indonesia and Qatar calling for the Middle East to be free of weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them, saying the resolution should deal only with Iran’s nuclear program.

The resolution’s sponsors – Britain, France and Germany – submitted the text in its final form and it will likely be voted on Saturday, said British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry.

“The text that we have submitted is one which we believe finds the center of gravity of the debate,” Jones Parry told reporters after a closed-door Security Council meeting. “It’s an appropriate, proportional, incremental response to the situation.”

De La Sabliere said that “almost all members of the council” accepted the approach of incrementally stepping up sanctions against Iran and the supporters were “close to the moment” when the wording of the resolution would be ready for a vote.

The six powers agreed on a new sanctions package last week aimed at persuading Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for electricity-generating nuclear reactors but also atomic bombs.

The council’s 10 nonpermanent members, which are elected for two-year terms, got to see the text a week ago and this week South Africa, Qatar and Indonesia proposed amendments. The six powers gave their response to the proposed changes Thursday.

In December, the Security Council voted unanimously to impose limited sanctions on Iran for its refusal to freeze enrichment. It ordered all countries to stop supplying Iran with materials and technology that could contribute to its nuclear and missile programs and to freeze assets of 10 key Iranian companies and 12 individuals related to those programs.

Iran responded by announcing an expansion of its enrichment program, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remains defiant, insisting the program is peaceful and aimed solely at producing electricity.

Ahmadinejad has asked to speak to the Security Council just before it votes on the new draft resolution.

In an interview with France-2 TV, Ahmadinejad said Thursday he would make new proposals to resolve the dispute, although he again rejected demands to suspend uranium enrichment.

“Our proposals will be based on rights and laws and on the inalienable rights of all nations. Not only on what the United States or Great Britain wants,” he said, without offering specifics.