BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday said any action taken by the United Nations should not punish the Iranian people and not impact on their normal lives.

"UN action should help resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular press conference.

Jiang said China has always adhered to the dual-track strategy on resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, and always insisted that dialogue and negotiation are the best way to resolve the issue.

Now the UN Security Council was discussing the related draft resolution. "This does not mean the door for diplomatic efforts is closed," she said.

The spokeswoman urged concerned parties to take positive steps to promote the proper settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

U.S. State Department said on Wednesday the United States hopes that the UN Security Council will vote on the new Iran sanctions resolution by June 21.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, namely the P5+1, announced on May 18 their agreement on a draft resolution proposing new sanctions against Iran.

The new draft, which has been the subject of intense discussions since early April, expands the breadth and reach of UN sanctions on Iran by creating new categories of punishments.