The chief of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said on Friday he hoped for an agreement with Iran on an offer to send enriched uranium abroad for further processing before the end of the year.

'It is a unique opportunity to move from sanctions and confrontation to the process of building...trust,' Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told a news conference in Berlin.

'I believe frankly the ball is very much in the Iranian court,' he added. 'I hope they will not miss this unique but fleeting opportunity.'-Reuters