BERLIN, Feb 4: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday that Iran's behaviour over its nuclear programme was of international concern and urged Tehran to take the diplomatic opportunity that was on offer.

"The behaviour of the Iranian government ... is of concern to an international community that is increasingly unified," she told reporters after talks in Berlin with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

"There are concerns ... about what is being done under cover of civilian power work," Ms Rice said. "I really do hope that the Iranians will take the opportunities that are being presented to them."

She said that the Islamic republic had been defying efforts to get it to respect its commitment to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog. -AFP