"The coming month is decisive," Silvan Shalom, vice premier, told public radio. "It is time the international community imposes tough sanctions against Iran, even if Russia and China do not go along."

He was referring to two of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, who have previously expressed opposition to Iran sanctions.

On Monday, however, Moscow suggested that a new set of sanctions could be discussed following Iran's announcement that it was stepping up its uranium enrichment.

Iran on Tuesday began enriching uranium to 20 percent purity level in defiance of world powers but under the supervision of UN nuclear inspectors, according to Iranian state media.

"The international community must decide if it will continue to harbour illusions on the so-called Iranian cooperation or if it will impose real sanctions against Iran and its nuclear programme," said Shalom.

Israeli ministers have repeatedly called for new sanctions against the Islamic republic.

While widely considered the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, Israel along with the West suspects Iran of trying to develop atomic weapons under the guise of its nuclear programme, a charge Tehran denies.

Israel considers Tehran its arch-enemy following repeated statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad questioning the scale of the Holocaust and saying the Jewish state was doomed to be "wiped off the map."

It has refused to rule out military force against Iran's nuclear programme.

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