US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice briefs the media on her upcoming trip to Asia at the State Department in Washington, DC. -Xinhua

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday that Iran should give up its nuclear program or it could face sanctions and international isolation.

"I expect the Security Council to begin work this week on an Iran sanctions resolution," Rice told reporters. "So the Iranian government should consider the course that it is on, which could lead to simply to further isolation."

Washington has been trying to seek international support to punish Iran for defying a UN Security Council decision calling on the Islamic republic to halt uranium enrichment, a process that could lead to nuclear bomb-making.

Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for civilian energy purposes.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in late July, urging Tehran to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities by Aug. 31, including research and development, or face international sanctions.

Iranian leaders have reiterated many times that Iran would not step back on its legal nuclear rights, warning the West not to imagine that the country would suspend uranium enrichment for even one day.