UN chief urges Iran to solve nuclear dispute through diplomacy

The Iranian government can resolve the dispute over its nuclear issues only through a diplomatic and negotiated solution, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday in response to a International Atomic Energy Agency report that Tehran had secretly doubled its uranium enrichment capacity.

Ban said in a statement issued in New York that he noted the IAEA's latest findings on Iran's nuclear activities published on Thursday, saying that it was "regrettable" that Tehran failed to reach an agreement with the nuclear agency, dpa reported.

Ban said a negotiated settlement should be pursued through a "reciprocal, step-by-step process."

"This must include measures by Iran aimed at building international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme," he said.

Ban has criticized Tehran for failing to provide evidence of its peaceful intent in carrying advanced uranium enrichment activities. Ban renewed his criticism when he was in Tehran this week at the Non-Aligned Movement meeting.

The IAEA said Iran, despite its denial, had doubled the capacity for higher enriched uranium at an underground facility built to withstand attacks. It said also that Tehran had been blocking UN nuclear experts to inspect suspect nuclear sites.