"We believe that we have seen enough, that action is warranted, and the (International Atomic Energy Agency) should refer the matter to the Security Council at its upcoming meeting next week," he said.

The IAEA is scheduled to meet Monday to review Iran's nuclear program.

Iran reportedly was ready to renounce its efforts to assemble centrifuges to enrich uranium in order to avoid being brought before the council, but a European diplomat told AFP that an agreement was still some way off.

Powell repeated Washington's impatience with what officials have called stalling tactics by Tehran.

"I've seen those reports but I would be more interested in seeing Iranian action to stop the steps that they say they are embarking upon with respect to the production of materials that in our judgement leads to a nuclear weapons -- make these evidence of a nuclear weapons program, which one must assume could lead to the development production of a nuclear weapon," he said.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.