Mohamed ElBaradei, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said countries shouldn’t talk about attacking Iran because that would only deepen the crisis.

ElBaradei spoke Monday in Vienna at the annual General Conference of the IAEA, saying Western countries must refrain from making controversial statements while the negotiations between IAEA representatives and Tehran envoys are still continuing.

The Egyptian diplomat said there is no convincing evidence about Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons programme, adding that “clear and present danger” does not exist.

The Tehran government has been accused in numerous rows of building nuclear weapons under the umbrella of its uranium enrichment programme which is not being used for civilian purposes, as Iran claims.

On Sunday, French Foreign Minister Bernhard Kouchner warned the other countries to be prepared for a possible war with Iran. Kouchner said the nuclear dispute could easily escalate into an armed conflict if Tehran doesn’t comply with international requirements.

The IAEA head said the international community should learn from similar events before making any important steps, referring to the Iraq war. He said thousands of people lost their lives as a result of a suspicion, stressing “force should only be used as a last resort.”

Meanwhile, Iran continues to defy the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, saying they are “deceptive, unjust and illegal.”

Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, Iranian vice president and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the country has been the victim of “deprivations and discrimination” over the past years.

“The Great Nation of Iran has recorded your discriminatory behaviour and performance in its memory and will not forget,” Aghazadeh said.

ElBaradei has to deal with criticism from some IAEA members, who say the agency has adopted a soft stance and has to impose its point of view. As the negotiations between Tehran and the IAEA continues, members of the Security Council are considering new sanctions against the Middle Eastern country.

Even so, ElBaradei continues to defend the cooperation with Iran and said important steps have been made towards clearing fundamental aspects of the nuclear programme and ending this dispute.

Once again, the United States urged Iran to halt its uranium enrichment or will have to face “real penalties” for its defiance.