ElBaradei: Only talks can solve Iran N issue

Former chief of the UN nuclear agency has said that Iran’s nuclear issue can only be resolved through diplomacy.

“Sanctions are not the solution,” Mohammed ElBaradei told the Austrian newspaper Kurier.

He also called on Western countries to keep patience on the Iran issue, saying Tehran presents no threat to their security.

“Some people want to show that Iran will have a nuclear bomb tomorrow. It will not, we have not seen, at least,” he said.

The comment came as the Obama administration says it is reaching out to its European allies as well as Russia and China to win support for imposing UN sanctions against Iran.

The Tehran government, however, rejects the Western claims about the nature of its nuclear drive, arguing that its activities are not in breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

ElBaradei also stressed that any new sanctions will only create more friction rather than solutions to the problems.

“There is no reason for hasty decisions,” he said, adding imposing new embargo on Tehran “will lead to more conflicts.”

Iran says its nuclear work is peaceful and is aimed at generating electricity for its growing domestic demand.