Press TV 10 Dicembre 2008

In a Saturday phone conversation, Barak said the time is ticking for newly-appointed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to dissuade Tehran from enriching uranium.

He called for the international community to work side by side in order to free the world of "challenges such as the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities".

"The free world has many challenges on the agenda, from Iran to radical Islamic terrorism, and tight international cooperation is needed to face these issues," Barak was quoted as saying.

The Israeli demand comes shortly after a Thursday report published by The Jerusalem Post, which confirmed hat Tel Aviv is planning a solo attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Israeli threats against the Islamic Republic reached a new height in November, fueling speculations that Tel Aviv intends to stage its third attack on Middle Eastern countries over nuclear allegations.

Israeli intelligence sources told the Times late in November that the prospect of military action against Iran had significantly increased.

Israeli Air Force Commander General Ido Nehushtan also announced that his forces were ready to follow any order to bring Iran's nuclear program to a halt.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei in a recently released report said, however, that the agency "has been able to continue to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran," adding that there has been 'no indication' of Iran conducting nuclear reprocessing activities.

The report also urges Iran to increase its cooperation with the agency over the "alleged studies" of weaponization attributed to Tehran by Western countries.

Tehran has been accused of launching a "green salt project, high explosives testing, and the missile re-entry vehicle project".

Iranian officials say the allegations are based on "fabricated data" and have requested the UN nuclear watchdog to provide Tehran with the original documents.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, however, says it is in no "position" to do so due to US reluctance to provide the agency with the original copies of the documents.

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Source > PressTV