Germany urges diplomacy on Iran N-case

PRESS TV - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on the international community to fully exploit diplomatic efforts to solve the standoff over Iran's nuclear issue.

In an interview with German-language Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper on Friday, Merkel said international community should "exploit all the diplomatic room to maneuver and Germany can make a contribution."

She added that world leadership should consider sanctions a priority "at the moment" instead of debating on whether military attacks could help break the deadlock, Xinhua reported.

International Atomic Energy Agency' Director General Yukiya Amano's latest report on Iran's nuclear activities was given to the 35 members of the Board of Governors Tuesday, ahead of the board's meeting which is scheduled to be held in Vienna on November 17-18.

In its report, the IAEA claimed that Iran had engaged in activities related to developing nuclear weapons before 2003, adding that these activities “may still be ongoing.”

Following the release of the IAEA report, the US, Israel and some of their western allies have renewed their aggressive rhetoric against Iran, pressing for more sanctions on Tehran.

Iran has dismissed the report as "unbalanced, unprofessional and prepared with political motivation and under political pressure mostly by the US."