IAEA rebuke forced Iran to approve plans for new N-sites

Any new plants would take years to build and stock with centrifuges but the ambitious plans were a bold show by Iran that it won't back down amid a deadlock in negotiations.

Tehran: Iran's nuclear chief has accused the UN atomic watchdog's critical report of pushing Tehran to develop new nuclear facilities. France, meanwhile, has pressed for new sanctions against Iran, saying diplomacy was not working.

A Russian minister visiting Iran, however, attempted to defuse the situation by maintaining that there were still a good chance for negotiations to resolve the crisis.

Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi told state radio on Monday that Iran's decision to build 10 new uranium enrichment facilities was necessary after the International Atomic Energy Agency's resolution Friday demanded that Iran halt all enrichment activities.

Any new plants would take years to build and stock with centrifuges but the ambitious plans were a bold show by Iran that it won't back down amid a deadlock in negotiations.