Peres' Iranophobia rhetoric begins to sway IAEA chief

Israeli President Shimon Peres has verbally attacked Iran during his first meeting with the new chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, claiming that it poses a threat to the entire world.

Peres made the remarks on Saturday in a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukia Amano on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

At the start of the meeting, Peres congratulated Amano on his new appointment, urging him to take stronger steps against Iran.

"I hope that under your leadership the agency will work in a serious and steadfast manner against Iran's nuclear armament," he said.

The Israeli leader's remarks run contrary to the IAEA's periodical reports, which have all declared that Tehran's nuclear program has not diverted toward weaponization.

The United States' main intelligence agencies, and more recently, the Pentagon's top intelligence official have also confirmed that Iran is not conducting military nuclear activities.

During the meeting with Peres, Amano said that Iran does not abide by the IAEA resolutions in a satisfactory manner.

However, upon his appointment in late 2009, the new IAEA chief had said that he did not see any hard evidence that Iran was trying to gain the ability to develop nuclear weapons.

"I don't see any evidence in IAEA official documents about this," Yukiya Amano said in his first direct comment on Iran's nuclear program after being elected as the IAEA chief.

Amano is expected to present a report to the IAEA Board of Governors in March. PressTV