WASHINGTON, Sept 2: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday the time had come for the United Nations to take punitive action against Iran for its alleged nuclear weapons program.

Speaking to reporters flying back with him from a one-day trip to Panama, Mr Powell said he would urge members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), at its board meeting on Sept 13, to refer the issue to the UN Council.

"We still believe that the Iranians are not fessing up to everything. They still have a program that, in our judgment, is a nuclear program designed to develop ultimately a nuclear weapon," said Mr Powell. "Our view is that it should have been referred to the (UN Security) Council long ago and that is still our position, that it ought to be referred to the Council."

He was responding to a new classified report from the UN's IAEA, circulated on Wednesday, which said Iran planned an industrial-scale test of a uranium conversion facility soon. Mr Powell said he planned to talk to Britain, France and Germany to try and reach a consensus. -Reuters