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Article 41 authorizes the Security Council to impose nonmilitary sanctions such as completely or partially severing diplomatic and economic relations, transportation and communications links.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Wednesday that sanctions will not stop Iran from enriching uranium after European foreign policy chief Javier Solana conceded that "endless hours" of talks with top Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani had made little progress and suggested the dispute could wind up at the U.N. soon.

The talks had been seen as a last-ditch attempt to avoid a full-blown confrontation between Iran and the Security Council after Tehran ignored an Aug. 31 deadline to suspend enrichment - a key step toward making nuclear weapons - or face punishment.

"The time of negotiations of course is not infinite, but we'll try to do the utmost," Solana said Thursday after talks in Rome with Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema. "I think that even if we fail now we should keep the doors open for dialogue with Iran."

Senior U.N. diplomats told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Iran's refusal to freeze uranium enrichment had sabotaged the talks, opening the way for the Security Council to start considering sanctions next week. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because Solana has not formally declared the talks dead.