Senior US officials traveled to China two weeks before President Barack Obama's trip there to pressure Beijing to further isolate Iran, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

Senior National Security Council aides Dennis Ross and Jeffrey Bader warned Chinese officials of severe consequences if Beijing did not join other countries in condemning Iran for ignoring UN resolutions and building a secret uranium enrichment plant, the Post said.

The US officials told the Chinese that Israel considers Iran's suspect nuclear program an "existential issue and that countries that have an existential issue don't listen to other countries," a senior administration official told the newspaper.

Bader and Ross namely warned their Chinese counterparts that Israel could bomb Iran, triggering a regional conflict, raising oil prices, hampering China's oil supplies but also possibly encouraging further nuclear proliferation, the official added.

The pressure has yielded results, with Beijing informing Washington it would endorse a US-backed statement criticizing Iran's nuclear activities, according to the Post.

The statement was part of a draft resolution that could be taken up during a two-day meeting of the UN atomic watchdog's board of governors that began Thursday in Vienna.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany tabled the measure to be put to a vote by the 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran has so far refused to respond to a proposal that would see Russia enrich the uranium needed to fuel a nuclear research reactor in Tehran in return for confidence-building gestures.

Under the terms of the deal, Iran must ship out most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium for further processing by Russia.

But Tehran is reluctant to let go of its uranium, and has proposed a simultaneous exchange of fuel inside Iran instead.

The Post said Washington's pressure on Beijing aimed to get the Chinese giant to back sanctions against the Islamic republic if Tehran rejects the uranium enrichment deal.

China has long been opposed to slapping sanctions on Iran, its second biggest supplier of oil.

The IAEA meeting is largely focused on Iran's nuclear activities and its refusal to accept the uranium supply deal hammered out by the UN nuclear watchdog's outgoing chief, Mohamed ElBaradei.

earlier related report
Iran seeks deals for a longer Latin hold
La Paz, Bolivia (UPI) Nov 25, 2009 - Iran is clinching deals for trade and technical cooperation with Latin American countries with the aim of securing a foothold after the current tour of the region by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran has already fostered strong bilateral ties with Nicaragua and Venezuela, but Ahmadinejad's current tour of Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela is producing a whole series of new contracts that encompass increased trade and economic cooperation, technical assistance in the energy and mining sectors and uranium prospecting.

During his one-day visit to the Bolivian capital Tuesday Ahmadinejad and Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales signed agreements that include Iranian technical assistance with industrial development in the Latin American country. After the signing ceremony at the president palace Ahmadinejad and Morales posed for photographers. Earlier the Iranian president was greeted with military honors and presented with the key to the city.

Upon arrival, Ahmadinejad was welcomed by an Iranian girl representing the Iranian community in Bolivia, an indication that the Iranian-Bolivian connections run deep. Last January Bolivia broke off diplomatic relations with Israel over the Gaza conflict.

The Jewish community in Bolivia reacted with alarm to the developments. Ricardo Udler, president of the Israelite Circle of Bolivia, said Ahmadinejad's visit caused "a very high feeling of concern and anxiety." Ahmadinejad last visited Bolivia in September 2007, under the auspices of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whom he will visit next in the final part of his current tour.

Earlier Ahmadinejad visited Brazil to jeers and taunts from the opposition to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the Iranian's host, and from protesters against Iran's nuclear program.

Iran has made much of Brazil's defense of Iran's nuclear program, though interpretations of what exactly Lula supported vary.

?The leader of the Brazilian opposition, Jose Serra, criticized Lula for receiving Ahmadinejad and recalled the current Iranian defense minister, Ahmad Vahidi, was suspected of involvement in a 1994 attack on the Argentine Jewish Mutual organization in Buenos Aires. Iran has denied the charge.

Lula has responded to the criticism, saying he considers it important to talk with Tehran as part of the Middle East dialogue.

"If Iran is a major player in all this conflict, it is important for someone to sit with Iran, talk to them so we can return to some sort of normality in the Middle East," he said in a radio program.

However, analysts said Brazil's ties with Iran had gone beyond a dialogue as both sides have signed numerous agreements for long-term economic and technical cooperation. Venezuela's Chavez, who visited Iran in September, has also announced he intends to sign more agreements with Iran to follow up on accords reached earlier.