Biden: World Is Unified Toward Iran Sanctions

"Everyone agrees," including China and Israel, that the next step the international community should take to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions is instituting a new United Nations sanctions regime, Vice President Joe Biden said today on ABC's "The View."

A sanctions regime against Iran should be in place by the end of this month or the beginning of next month, he said.

"China will agree to sanctions," Biden said. "This is the first time the entire world is unified."

Iran is "out of bounds," the vice president said, and "more isolated than they have ever been."

China has said it is now open to discussing specific potential sanctions, allowing the U.S. to press ahead with an effort to pass such a measure. The U.S. and China are working with Russia, Britain, France and Germany on the proposed sanctions. The Iranian government, however has expressed doubts that China's willingness to consider sanctions will amount to an actual agreement. The Chinese have signed on to previous U.N. sanctions resolutions but have delayed and weakened them, National Public Radio reports.

"I'm not assuming that sanctions will not work," Biden said today.

When asked whether Israel could attack Iran without the United States' permission, Biden said, "They're not going to do that."

Stephanie Condon

Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.

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