"They'll only support [an attack] if it would set Iran's nuclear program back at least five if not 10 years and they could restrain the Iranian retaliation. Then it's a viable option," Javedanfar said.
The U.N.'s failure to impose tougher penalties probably signaled the end of a final U.S. push against Iran before President Bush leaves office.
Although Russia and China approved an extension of the ban on arms sales to Iran and a partial freeze of its assets overseas, they opposed additional measures.
In September, the Bush administration stepped up economic pressure outside the U.N. framework, blacklisting Iran's national shipping line, eighteen of its affiliates and about 120 individual ships for allegedly cooperating with Tehran's nuclear and missile development.
And last month, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against the Export Development Bank of Iran, charging that the government bank was an instrument supporting the country's nuclear research program.
But in other ways, the level of activity and rhetoric from Washington has fallen noticeably in recent months.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in September that the U.S. continued to work with its allies to develop new ways to pressure Iran. But she did not promise that the group would complete the work before January.
"We'll see," she said.
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ashraf.khalil@latimes.com
paul.richter @latimes.com
Times staff writers Richard Boudreaux in New York and Borzou Daragahi in Beirut contributed to this report.
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Ashraf Khalil reporting from jerusalem
Paul Richter reporting from washington
