The head of the U.N. nuclear monitoring agency is calling for talks between Iran and the U.S. and cautioning against the use of force to resolve international disagreements.
The comments by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei follow a decision by Washington and five other world powers to accept an Iranian offer of talks _ even though Tehran says they will not focus on its nuclear program.
ElBaradei spoke Monday at the start of the 150-nation IAEA General Conference.
President Barack Obama and European allies had given Iran until the end of September to take up an offer of nuclear talks with six world powers and trade incentives should it suspend uranium enrichment activities. If not, Iran could face harsher punitive sanctions.
Israel and the U.S. both have indicated that force could be considered as a last option against Iran unless it ends its nuclear defiance of the U.N. Security Council.
