New York/Vienna, September 1 (DPA) Iran has not halted its uranium enrichment activities and was in defiance of the deadline set by the UN Security Council, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told the council Thursday.

"Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities, nor has Iran acted in accordance with the provisions of the Additional Protocol," the Vienna-based IAEA said in a copy of the report obtained by DPA.

"Iran has not addressed the long-outstanding verification issues, or provided necessary transparency to remove uncertainties associated with some of its activities."

The report was being circulated to the UN Security Council members in New York and the IAEA's own member states.

Under the deadline laid down in the July 31 UN Security Council Resolution 1696, a finding that Tehran has failed to halt uranium enrichment operations could pave the way for international sanctions against Iran.

The US State Department said Wednesday that it would move quickly to push for Security Council sanctions on Iran if it does not comply with the resolution. The five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany are tentatively scheduled to meet next week in Berlin.

The so-called additional protocol to the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) gave the IAEA greater powers to conduct snap inspections of nuclear facilities they suspect are being used to produce materials for nuclear weapons.

"The Agency remains unable to make further progress in its efforts to verify the correctness and completeness of Iran's declarations with a view to confirming the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme," the report said.

Earlier Thursday, as the UN deadline neared, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iran would not bow to pressure over its nuclear rights.

"The world should know that Iran will not bow to any pressure from any side and not retreat from its internationally acknowledged nuclear rights," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the northwestern city of Oroumieh, carried on state television.

In the US on Thursday, President George W. Bush accused Iran of "defiance and delay" as the deadline expired.

"It is time for Iran to make a choice," Bush said in an address in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bush called a set of incentives offered by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US - plus Germany aimed at persuading Iran to come clean on its nuclear activities a "reasonable proposal".

"We must not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons," Bush said, adding that Iran was in "open defiance of its international obligations".

Bush also accused Iran of supporting Hezbollah, a group considered by the US to be a terrorist organisation that provoked a month-long conflict with Israel that began July 12 and devastated many parts of Lebanon.

The US believes that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons while Iran insists its nuclear programme is purely for producing energy.