VIENNA, Dec 4: UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said on Tuesday that a new US intelligence report conceding that Iran is no longer developing nuclear weapons would help defuse tensions with the Islamic republic.

While Iran said it had been vindicated and the United States and its allies insisted pressure must be maintained, ElBaradei said Iran must “accelerate its cooperation” with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) but called for immediate negotiations.

The US intelligence report released on Monday said US allegations about Iran’s atomic goals had been exaggerated for at least two years, even if Tehran could still have the capability to make a nuclear weapon by 2015.

Baradei said the US report “tallies with the agency’s consistent statements over the last few years that, although Iran still needs to clarify some important aspects of its past and present nuclear activities, the agency has no concrete evidence of an ongoing nuclear weapons programme or undeclared nuclear facilities in Iran.” But the IAEA chief added that he believed the new intelligence assessment “should help to defuse the current crisis. 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.”

Baradei called on “Iran to accelerate its cooperation with the agency” and urged immediate negotiations, saying these were needed “to build confidence about the future direction of Iran’s nuclear programme” and “to bring about a comprehensive and durable solution that would normalise the relationship between Iran and the international community.” The report was published as the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Russia and China work on a new UN Security Council sanctions resolution against Iran’s uranium enrichment.

Russia and China oppose tough sanctions but the Western powers insisted Iran is still a potential threat.

The report confirms “the double approach chosen by the international community which foresees at the same time encouragement and the measures of the United Nations Security Council is good,” said Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.France similarly called on world powers to “maintain the pressure on Iran”.

“It appears that Iran is not fulfilling its international obligations,” French foreign ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani said, adding that the powers concerned should continue preparing a resolution at the UN Security Council resolution.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said only that Iran’s nuclear programme should be “transparent” and monitored by the IAEA.

“The report will make it more, not less difficult to get UNSC support for tougher sanctions,” Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association in Washington said.

Tehran said its stance had been vindicated. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the report and others released recently proved “the current trend of Iran’s nuclear activities is peaceful.” “We welcome all countries that had questions about Iran’s nuclear case in the past — regardless of their motives — when they realistically correct their views,” he told state radio.

Western diplomats in Vienna said the report still begged the question as to why Iran had had a nuclear weapons programme.

The report “is actually pretty damning. It shows that we’ve been right all along,” said one diplomat, on condition on anonymity.

“The report suggests that Iran is still far, far away from having come clean with either the IAEA or international community on the true scope and nature of its programme,” said another.—AFP