The U.S. and its Western allies bluntly accused Iran on Friday of deceiving the world and declared it could no longer dismiss evidence it is working secretly on making nuclear arms. The unusually tough accusations were bound to raise international tensions over Iran's nuclear program — even though the Western statements emphasized that the preferred solution was through diplomacy. Statements delivered to the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board by the United States, and on behalf of Germany, Britain and France, contained no mention of military action — an option that has not been discounted by either Israel or the U.S. if Tehran refuses to stop activities that can be used for nuclear weapons. Still, they pulled no punches, drawing heavily on a recent IAEA report based on intelligence from more than 10 nations that concluded that some alleged clandestine activities by the Islamic Republic could not be used for any other purpose than making nuclear arms.
