US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she hoped to see a UN Security Council resolution on new sanctions against Iran over its contested nuclear program in the "next 30 to 60 days."

The chief US diplomat said President Barack Obama's administration has gained greater international support for tougher action against Iran because of its offer to engage rather than isolate the Islamic Republic.

"Our very clear commitment to engagement has created space for a lot of these countries to now consider supporting sanctions that they might not have otherwise," Clinton told a Senate hearing.

"We have demonstrated the strategic patience to exhaust the international efforts of convincing Iran to do the right thing without sanctions," she said.

"We hope that the next 30 to 60 days will see a sanctions resolution emerge," Clinton said.

"And we also made clear with others of our allies and partners that whatever comes out of New York we may pursue bilateral or multilateral sanctions on top of whatever can be the result of the Security Council deliberation," she said.

"This is the highest priority for the Obama administration."