ElBaradei says that Tehran must still clarify aspects of its past and present nuclear programme [AFP]

Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the report agreed with his agency's findings that there was "no evidence" of a nuclear weapons programme.
 
"This new assessment by the US should help to defuse the current crisis," he said.
 
"At the same time, it should prompt Iran to work actively with the IAEA to clarify specific aspects of its past and present nuclear programme as outlined in the work plan and through the implementation of the additional protocol."

Outstanding questions

After a meeting with Saeed Jalili, Iran's senior nuclear negotiator, Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said that Iran had promised to answer all of the UN agency's remaining questions.

However, Israel questioned the findings of the US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), saying that efforts to curb Iran's nuclear programme should continue regardless.

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Washington has been pushing for a third round of sanctions for defying the United Nations Security Council demands that it stops enriching uranium.

Ehud Olmert, Israeli prime minister, said that he would continue to push the US and other allies move to halt Tehran's nuclear programme.

"It is vital to pursue efforts to prevent Iran from developing a capability like this and we will continue doing so along with our friends the United States," he said.

Last Saturday, the five permanent members of the Security Council - the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain - along with Germany, met in Paris to discuss what measures to take against Iran.

International pressure

Britain, whose position on Iran is closely aligned with Washington's, said on Tuesday that it would also continue to push for increased international pressure.

"We think the report's conclusions justify the actions already taken by the international community," a spokesman for Gordon Brown, British prime minister, said.

"It confirms we were right to be worried about Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons [and] shows that the sanctions programme and international pressure were having an effect in that they seem to have abandoned the weaponisation element."

France took a similar stand, saying that the elements of the report appeared to show that Iran was not respecting its international obligations.
  
"We must keep up the pressure on Iran ... we will continue to work on the introduction of restrictive measures in the framework of the United Nations," a French foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

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