Paris - France on Tuesday joined the United States in calling for additional sanctions against Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Monday that Teheran was continuing to expand its uranium enrichment programme.

"We have no other choice but to draw up another UN Security Council resolution on sanctions in the coming days and weeks," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevalier said.

Chevalier described as "very worrying" the fact that Iranian authorities had not replied to questions regarding matters that could be related to the development of nuclear weapons.

Iran now operates close to 3,800 high-speed centrifuges, 200 more than stated in the May report, the IAEA report said. Iran has so far produced a total of 480 kilograms of low-grade enriched uranium.

Iran would need 15,000 kg for a "break-out scenario" in which the low-grade enriched uranium could be enriched further for use in an atom bomb, a UN official said Monday. (dpa)