The United States will try to seek a strong statement by the U.N. Security Council on Iran when it starts debating Iran's nuclear issue next week, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on Thursday.

"The first step in the Security Council will not be looking at sanctions, it will be looking at the possibility of a strong presidential statement laying out very clearly for the regime what it needs to do and calling on the regime to take certain steps," McClellan said at a briefing.

McClellan reaffirmed that the United States will try to seek a diplomatic solution on Iran's nuclear issue.

"What we have said is that we are pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue when it comes to Iran," McClellan said.

McClellan made the remarks after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sent an assessment report on Iran's program to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua