IAEA Chief: World Is Losing Patience On Iran

Dow Jones Newswires:

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency warned Iran that world leaders are losing patience with Tehran's lack of transparency on its atomic program, a British television network said Sunday. Mohamed ElBaradei urged Iran to cooperate with the agency's investigation into its activities in an interview to be broadcast Monday by Sky News. The appeal came as Tehran took steps to move forward with its vow to resume nuclear fuel research this week.

"I am running out of patience, the international community is running out patience," ElBaradei said, according to a transcript released by Sky. "The credibility of the verification process is at stake and I'd like come March, which is my next report, to be able to clarify these issues."

The International Atomic Energy Agency chief has opposed Iran's plans to resume work with some equipment used in enrichment - a possible pathway to nuclear arms.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signaled Thursday that time was running out for Iran.

"Everybody would like to see a regime by which the international community is assured that the Iranian program is exclusively for peaceful purposes and there are still a number of issues we are looking at," ElBaradei said, according to Sky's transcript. "There is also a consensus that enrichment in ... Iran right now is a matter of serious concern." READ MORE

He said that Iran, Europe and the U.S. must all cooperate to resolve the nuclear dispute to avoid worsening tensions in the Middle East.

"The nuclear issue is one issue, we still have many issues, we still have Iraq, we still have the Palestinian issue, we still have Afghanistan and I think we just can't afford to have additional confrontation in that region," he said. "I would shudder to think of the consequences, so people need to think hard before they embark on any process of confrontation."