Multiple rounds of international sanctions are failing to have any effect on Iran 's controversial nuclear program, the head of the United Nations atomic agency said Tuesday.

"We are verifying the activities at the nuclear sites in Iran and we do not see any effect," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Yukiya Amano said in Paris .

"They are for example producing enriched uranium up to 5% and 20% with a quite constant pace."

Uranium enrichment lies at the heart of the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear program, since the material produced can be used not only for peaceful purposes--Iran's stated intention--but also, when further treated, for a nuclear bomb.

The UN Security Council has passed six resolutions calling on Iran to suspend all enrichment, passing four rounds of sanctions.

Mr. Amano's comments follow the release of the IAEA's latest report on Iran on Friday.

It said Tehran was on the threshold of being able to triple its monthly production of 20%-enriched uranium after completing the installation of machinery at its Fordo site, dug into a mountain near the holy city of Qom .

Mr. Amano also said it was "difficult to predict" whether Iran and the IAEA will make progress in their next round of talks in Tehran on Dec. 13 following a string of fruitless earlier meetings.

The talks are aimed at persuading Iran to respond to "overall, credible" claims set out in a major IAEA report a year ago that until 2003 and possibly since, Tehran conducted nuclear weapons research work.

On Wednesday, Britain , China , France , Russia , the United States , and Germany are due to hold their first talks since the U.S. presidential election ahead of a possible new round of talks with Iran , perhaps before the end of the year.

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