Iran on Monday slammed the US for its alleged phone tapping on the conversations between the UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed El Baradei and Iranian officials, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"The US has several times violated the international norms. We expect the country, which invites others to respect the international norms, to do so itself," government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh was quoted as saying.

"Iran has not held any secret talks with the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Ramezanzadeh added. Some media reported on Sunday that the US had intercepted the phone conversations between El Baradei and Iranian diplomats in a bid for materials to oppose the IAEA chief.

El Baradei's reports played crucial roles in the IAEA's decisions on Iran's nuclear case at the agency's several past meetings. At the latest meeting on Nov. 29, the agency decided not to refer Iran's case to the UN Security Council, which dissatisfied the US, an enthusiastic advocate of the referral.

Source: Xinhua