US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday it could take months to secure a UN Security Council sanctions resolution on Iran over its nuclear ambitions.
Speaking on the plane to Buenos Aires, the chief US diplomat appeared to back away from her contention before the US Senate last week that a new resolution could be obtained in the "next 30 to 60 days."
"We are moving expeditiously and thoroughly in the Security Council. I can't give you an exact date, but I would assume sometime in the next several months," she said before landing for talks with President Cristina Kirchner.
Clinton told reporters traveling with her that she expected to discuss Iran with Kirchner, whose tough stand on Iran she praised.
IAEA chief Yukiya Amano accused Iran on Monday of not cooperating sufficiently with the agency in its investigation into the Islamic Republic's contested nuclear activities.
State Department Spokesman Phillip Crowley also said Iran was not being cooperative and called on the Islamic Republic to show a positive attitude and answer the UN watchdog's questions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki denied such allegations in Geneva when he said "We have fully cooperated with the agency. This cooperation will continue."