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The U.S. and its Western allies bluntly accused Iran on Friday of deceiving the world on nuclear arms, as the U.N. atomic agency passed a new resolution criticizing Tehran's nuclear defiance.

Statements delivered to the IAEA's 35-nation board by the U.S., and on behalf of Germany, Britain and France, contained no mention of military action -- an option that has not been discounted by either Israel or the U.S. if Tehran refuses to stop activities that can be used for nuclear weapons.

Still, they pulled no punches, drawing heavily on a recent IAEA report based on intelligence from more than 10 nations that concluded that some alleged clandestine activities by Iran could not be used for any other purpose than making nuclear arms.

"It is no longer within the bounds of credulity to claim that Iran's nuclear activities are solely peaceful," said Glyn Davies, the chief U.S. delegate to the IAEA, adding: "There is little doubt that Iran ... at the very least, wants to position itself for a nuclear weapons capability."