The US permanent representative to the UN nuclear watchdog, Gregory Schulte, asserting that the Iranian regime is a threat to the region and the world, warned that this regime can resume nuclear weapon production.

In a press conference, he said: Iran should come clean on a 2003 weapons programme alleged in a recent US intelligence report so progress can be made in the nuclear standoff, “That’s precisely what we’re looking for. We’re looking for an acknowledgement that they had a nuclear weapons programme,”

He added: We have new evidence and are highly confident that Iran had a nuclear weapons programme. And Iran’s leaders could choose to restart that programme, just as they have restarted uranium enrichment,”

There is no certainty that the IAEA would know, particularly as ElBaradei has twice warned us that the IAEA’s knowledge of Iran’s current activities is diminishing,” he said. “This is a matter of grave concern.”

Schulte insisted that Iran suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities in order to persuade the world of the peaceful nature of its contested atomic drive.

“Iran’s continued pursuit of an enrichment capability violates (UN) Security Council resolutions and casts doubts on its leaders’ ultimate intent,” he said.

“Iran is already a source of danger in the Middle East. That danger only increases as Iran’s leaders shorten the timeline to produce nuclear weapons.”

Iran refuses outright to suspend uranium enrichment, insisting on its inalienable right to develop nuclear energy to meet the needs of a growing population.