Explosive blasts cut power lines to Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo last month, the head of Iran's atomic agency said at a meeting of U.N. atomic watchdog member states Monday.

"On ... 17th August 2012, the electric power lines from the city of Qom to the Fordo complex ... were cut using explosives," Fereydoon Abbasi Davani told the 155-nation International Atomic Energy Agency gathering in a speech.

The gap between Israel and the United States on Iran widened Sunday as Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on a "red line" from Washington, claiming Tehran is "90 percent" toward having a nuclear bomb.

The Israeli leader, speaking on two U.S. political television talk shows, pressed the need for a categorical bar on Iran, saying such a safeguard had averted nuclear calamity with Russia during the Cold War and could ensure peace again.

A major U.S.-led naval minesweeping exercise got underway in the Gulf Sunday as tension remain high over Iran and its controversial nuclear program.

The exercise kicked off on the same day the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned of retaliation against the Strait of Hormuz, Israel and nearby U.S. bases if his country is attacked, and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on a "red line" from Washington, claiming Tehran is "90 percent" toward having a nuclear bomb.

France joined a chorus of nations urging a peaceful solution to the Iran nuclear crisis Wednesday, as French President Francois Hollande urged Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu to favor diplomacy.

Hollande made the comments in a telephone conversation with Israel's prime minister Wednesday, his office said.

President Barack Obama called Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday after he provoked a sudden crisis in relations by warning Washington had no moral right to stop Israel attacking Iran's nuclear program.

In an unusual move, Obama called the Prime Minister in the early hours Israel time, after a day of fast-rising tensions, exacerbated when Israeli officials said Obama had snubbed Netanyahu's request for talks on U.S. soil.

U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Neal Wolin stressed that his country isn't targeting the Lebanese banking sector rather than it's calling on it to be aware of the risks of dealing with Iran and Syria.

An Nahar daily said Wednesday he pointed out that Lebanon should be keen not to allow Iran and Syria to exploit its banks to evade the sanctions imposed on it.

Lebanon stunned Iran 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier Tuesday to keep alive its hopes of reaching the tournament in Brazil.

Lebanon came out attacking early and went ahead when captain Roda Antar, returning from a knee injury that kept him out for three games, met a free kick from Mohammad Haidar and headed home from close range. That appeared to wake up the Iranians, who pressed forward for the rest of the half.

U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Neal Wolin warned on Tuesday of attempts to exploit the Lebanese financial sector to evade sanctions on Iran and Syria, said the U.S. Embassy in a statement.

He said “further underscored the need for Lebanon to prevent abuse of the Lebanese financial sector by illicit actors and for Lebanese banks and regulatory authorities to remain vigilant against the evasion of sanctions by Iran and Syria.”

The international community cannot ask Israel to keep waiting before acting against Iran if it has not laid down red lines to Tehran over its nuclear program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

"The world tells Israel: Wait, there's still time. And I say: wait for what? Wait until when?," Netanyahu said.

Diplomats in Iran enjoy the "highest level" of security, the foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday in rejection of the main reason Canada gave for abruptly closing its Tehran embassy and evacuating staff.

"We have provided the best conditions for all the diplomats. Security in our country is at its highest level compared to the rest of the regional countries," spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in a weekly briefing.