Atom agency seen reporting Iran to Security Council
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-03 09:44

"We are reaching a critical phase but it is not a crisis situation. It's about confidence-building and it is not about an imminent threat," he said. Intelligence estimates of when Iran might be able to build a bomb range from two to over 10 years.

ElBaradei emphasized that even strong advocates of taking Iran to the Security Council, such as Washington, were not asking the world body to consider sanctions soon. "All of them are saying that this is simply a continuation of diplomacy."

EU powers called the extraordinary IAEA session after Iran on January 9 broke a 2-1/2-year moratorium on atomic development activity agreed with Britain, France and Germany.

Washington and European allies then persuaded Russia and China, which have important commercial interests in Iran, to back reporting Tehran to the Security Council.

Delaying action until at least March would allow time for Russia and Iran to work on details of Moscow's offer to purify uranium for Tehran, a joint venture aimed at preventing diversion of nuclear fuel to bomb-making.

Negotiations on the compromise proposal are set for February 16.