A week-long meeting of the UN atomic watchdog is to begin in Vienna today as world powers are poised to slap new sanctions on Tehran. The meeting of the 35-member board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency will focus not only on Iran and Syria, but will also have wider discussions on nuclear programmes in the Middle East. But it was Iran that was again set to dominate as the UN Security Council prepared to pass another round of punitive actions on the Islamic republic over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear activities. Last week, the IAEA circulated its latest report on Iran, in which it found that Tehran is pressing ahead with its contested uranium enrichment activities and is now producing enriched uranium at even higher levels of purification. The report said Iran had produced at least 5.7 kilos of higher-enriched uranium, ostensibly for a research reactor that makes radioisotopes for medical purposes. But the West fears the material could be ultimately intended for a nuclear weapon, and even the IAEA itself says it remains concerned about the true nature of the activities.