The UN Security Council is set to tighten sanctions against Iran but without the presence of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who had wanted to defend his country's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.
The package of sanctions, aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program, targets the country's arms exports, its state-owned Bank Sepah and the elite Revolutionary Guards.
Last night, Mr Ahmadinejad canceled his appearance before the council because visas for his flight crew arrived too late for his private plane to arrive in New York before the vote, his UN ambassador Javad Zarif said. Washington disputes this.
Instead, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who took a commercial flight, is to address the council's suspicions that Iran is developing nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian atomic energy program.
The meeting begins at 3pm (7pm Irish time) and the vote is expected to be unanimous in the 15-nation body. The sanctions would be suspended if Iran halted enrichment.
"It is suspension for suspension," acting US Ambassador Alejandro Wolff said. "It is not a high bar for Iran to meet."
Iran's foreign minister is expected to make proposals to the council that include a previous suggestion Europeans invest in its nuclear industry through a consortium under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog.
European negotiators had rejected the idea because Iran would control potentially dangerous nuclear fuel production. In an interview with France TV 24, Mr Ahmadinejad said: "Maybe they thought that with the propaganda we would back down. But we have not backed down and we will not back down."