By RIA Novosti
Vienna : Mohamed El Baradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warned Thursday against a military operation against Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
Mohamed El Baradei, director general of the IAEA, described the military option against Iran, urged by some US politicians, as an act of madness, which will not solve the core problem.
But he also called on the IAEA Board of Governors to keep a closer eye on Iran, which, he said, would have up to 3,000 enrichment centrifuges by the end of next month, building up enrichment capacity but failing to guarantee its peaceful intent.
El Baradei underscored the significance of developments in the coming months for a successful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue.
Iran has been under international sanctions since last year for failing to prove the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme. Russia is building a nuclear power plant in the south of Iran and will provide fuel for it, but Iran has announced it will develop its own enrichment capability.
Iran's existing centrifuges are believed to be technologically capable of producing weapons-grade uranium.