UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed yesterday for all involved in the Iranian nuclear crisis to "cool down" their rhetoric and actively search for a diplomatic solution.

He made the statement as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohammed ElBaradei, is on his way to Tehran for talks with Iran on resuming cooperation with the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

"Yes, they have pursued their research," Annan said of the Iranian claim that the country has already successfully enriched uranium in defiance of the international community.

The UN leader was speaking to reporters at The Hague, Netherlands. A transcript of the press encounter was released at the UN headquarters in New York.

"But I hope they will be able to come back to the table and work with the international community to find a negotiated solution," he added.

Recalling that Iran has all along maintained that its intent is to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy for the country, Annan said that if that indeed is the case, "they should be able to give the international community that assurance and work with everybody to find a solution out of this."

"I appeal to everyone to work more actively in search of a diplomatic solution and to cool down on the rhetoric and not to escalate," he said.

On March 29, in its first official action after IAEA reported Iran's nuclear issue to it, the UN Security Council called on Iran to resume full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development.