World powers hike pressure on Iran

US, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany say they are 'deeply concerned' over Iran's continued expansion of its nuclear programme

Six world powers engaged in stalled talks with Iran over its nuclear programme said today it was "essential and urgent" Tehran cooperates with the UN atomic agency over allegations of bomb research.

The US, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany also said they were "deeply concerned" over Iran's continued expansion of its nuclear programme despite UN Security Council resolutions calling for a suspension.

It said that after 10 failed meetings between the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran over the past 18 months it was "essential and urgent for Iran to engage with the agency on the substance of its concerns".

The countries -- all permanent UN Security Council members except Germany -- said that this included Iran fulfilling "its undertaking to grant access to Parchin," a military base near Tehran.

The IAEA believes Iran constructed a large explosives containment vessel at Parchin in 2000 to conduct experiments that it says would be "strong indicators of possible nuclear weapon development".

Iran has rejected IAEA requests to visit the site and denies wanting or ever having worked on developing a nuclear weapon. It says that the IAEA's allegations are based on faulty intelligence provided by Tehran's enemies.

The allegations on Parchin form part of a major report issued by the IAEA in November 2011 summarising information on suspected nuclear weapons research that it had been given, mostly, but not only, by foreign intelligence agencies.

IAEA head Yukiya Amano said on Monday that after the 10 meetings, the latest on May 15, with Iran on these allegations, the two sides were "going around in circles".

Today's statement was delivered by Germany's ambassador Konrad Scharinger at a closed-door meeting of the IAEA'S 35-nation board of governors in Vienna.