Iran and Israel trade harsh words

Israel accused Iran of lying on Friday, while Tehran challenged the international community to send inspectors for a probe of its arch-rival’s nuclear capabilities, in an unusually bitter and rare direct confrontation.

UN officials at a 148-nation meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency said they had no memory of the two hostile nations ever engaging each other directly at previous meetings and noted that development – and the unusually harsh tone of their statements – in part reflected Middle East tensions.