IAEA Chief Criticizes Talk of War with Iran
17 September 2007
The head of the U.N nuclear agency has criticized talk of attacking Iran over its nuclear program, saying the use of force should only be considered after all other options are exhausted.
Mohamed ElBaradei says he does not believe the international community has reached a point where it should be discussing attacking Iran.
He called talk of war "hype" Monday, one day after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned the world should brace for the possibility of war if negotiations with Iran fail.
Iran reacted to Kouchner's warning by accusing France of pandering to the United States.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is meeting in Vienna for talks expected to focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
The United States and its allies are urging the U.N. Security Council to impose a third set of sanctions on Iran for refusing to stop sensitive nuclear activities.
The United States and other western nations accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian energy program. Tehran denies the charges and says it will not give up its nuclear program.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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