The UN nuclear watchdog's chief said today he was hopeful a deal over Iran's atomic programme could be reached in the next week or so.
Citing a flurry of diplomacy involving Russia and EU powers,
UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed El-Baradei
said international peace and security were at stake in efforts to resolve the crisis.
"I am still very much hopeful that in the next week or so an agreement could be reached," he said, while acknowledging Russia's proposal to enrich uranium for Iran had run into problems because of Tehran's determination to purify nuclear fuel itself.
He was speaking just before an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting on Iran that could potentially have proved a prelude to UN Security Council action.
Many in the international community believe Tehran's revived uranium enrichment programme is aimed at developing nuclear weapons capability.
Mr El-Baradei will submit a report to the 35-nation meeting this morning saying Iran has largely ignored a resolution demanding it take steps to defuse a crisis of confidence in its nuclear program.
His report will be forwarded to the Security Council after today's meeting amid deepening concern about Irans's failure to honour pledges to allow the IAEA full access to its sites.
John Bolton, US ambassador to the United Nations, warned Iran faced "tangible and painful consequences" if it pushed ahead with uranium enrichment and that Washington would use "all tools at our disposal" to neutralise Tehran's atomic project.