Iran nuke chief harshly criticises atomic agency

VIENNA (AP) - Iran's nuclear chief warned on Monday that "terrorists and saboteurs" might have infiltrated the International Atomic Energy Agency in an effort to derail his country's atomic programme, in an unprecedentedly harsh attack on the integrity of the United Nations (UN) organisation and its probe of allegations that Teheran might be striving to make nuclear arms.

Mr Fereydoun Abbasi also rebuked the United States in comments to the IAEA's 55-nation general conference, reflecting Iran's determination to continue defying international pressure aimed at curbing its nuclear programme and nudging it toward cooperation with the IAEA inspection.

As such, the speech was bound to give a greater voice to hardline Israel leaders who say that both diplomatic efforts and economic penalties have failed to move Iran, leaving military strikes as the only alternative to stopping it from developing nuclear weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a direct appeal to American voters on Sunday to elect a president willing to draw a "red line" with Iran.