France insists on December deadline for Iran

The French Defense Minister has called for new sanctions against Iran if Tehran does not respond to the 'IAEA demands' over its nuclear work by December.

"If Iran does not respond to the demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by December, the international community must decide on sanctions," Herve Morin said in an interview with Le Figaro on Thursday.

He said France was 'determined' on the issue, claiming that there was 'no other approach' in dealing with the dispute.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy had earlier suggested December as the deadline for Iran over its nuclear work.

Iran had made it clear that it has gone even beyond its commitments to the IAEA and has demonstrated 'a great deal of transparency' in its nuclear work.

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali-Akbar Salehi told Press TV in an exclusive interview late Monday that all questions that were raised in the framework of the work plan have been exhausted.

"There was a work plan that was worked out between Iran and the [International] Atomic Energy Agency; and in this work plan the questions were exhausted, so Iran answered all the questions that were raised in six categories, and the IAEA itself admitted that the questions that have been raised were perfectly answered."

There is 'only one other issue which the IAEA itself has said that it was not in a position to authenticate, and that was the 'alleged studies' that has been raised by the Americans', Salehi added

The US and its allies insist that Iran should cooperate with the IAEA over their so-called “alleged studies” of weaponization. Such studies purportedly implicate Iran in pursuing a 'green salt project, high explosives testing, and a missile re-entry vehicle project.'

Iran considers such documents as forged, demanding that the IAEA provide Tehran with copies of the documents so that Iran can inform the agency of its assessment. IAEA has so far failed to provide the documents to Iran.