NEW YORK – The window for Iran to avoid the prospect of diplomatic penalty shut yesterday when the leading diplomats from America and Europe foreclosed the possibility of future nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic inside the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Speaking at the State Department yesterday, Secretary of State Rice and her E.U. counterpart, Javier Solana, both said Iran’s decision to begin enrichment of uranium on January 9 must be taken up by the U.N. Security Council. Mr. Solana went further, disclosing that the European Union had rejected a request from Iran’s national security adviser to proceed with a previously scheduled negotiations session. “We are now replying that it doesn’t make much sense to have another meeting if there’s nothing new in what they are going to put on the table,” Mr. Solana said.

The tough line yesterday was an indirect rebuke of a last-minute proposal from Moscow to delay a final reckoning between the world and Iran over its nuclear ambitions by leaving open the prospect of future talks inside the auspices of the U.N. nuclear watchdog. This fall, Russia offered to process Iran’s uranium on the condition that the spent fuel be stored out of the country to prevent the prospect of reprocessing it for use in an atomic bomb.

“Iran must not be allowed to get a nuclear weapon, it must not be allowed to pursue activities that might lead to a nuclear weapon, and on that we are fully united,” Ms. Rice said yesterday in words that echoed the recent resolve of Israel’s acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert.

On January 9, Iranian engineers broke the seals on facilities it had promised to keep suspended in a separate arrangement with Britain, France, and Germany. In the last week, leaders from all three countries have said that they have run out of patience with the Islamic Republic and would support its referral to the U.N. Security Council.

However, it is unclear whether or not America and Europe would have the votes for tough sanctions against Iran, particularly since both Russia and China, which have vetoes on the council, have indirectly threatened to block harsh measures.

“We’re continuing to talk to the Russians and the Chinese,” Ms. Rice said yesterday. “I think they’ve both expressed their very grave concern about what Iran has done, and we will continue to work with them on a future course.”

Despite the fact that Iran’s revolutionary guard corps trained three major militias attached to Iraq’s ruling party, the country’s coast guard this week stopped three Iraqi ships in the Persian Gulf. Also, on Sunday, Iran’s foreign ministry announced plans to host a conference to examine the truthfulness of the Holocaust, echoing a chord struck by its president who has for the last three months repeated his opinions that it never happened.

When asked what the Iranians could do to avoid the prospect of censure and sanction, Ms. Rice was not specific. “I think it is up to the Iranians to demonstrate that they are not just talking, that they are serious,” she said. “I think the E.U. has already – France has already responded concerning whether or not they think it would make any sense to have discussions with the Iranians at this point.”

A special meeting for the International Atomic Energy Agency is scheduled for February 2.