"I don't personally think the US would attack Iran, mainly because people in the United States are tired of military adventures," he said here, where he presented a report on weapons of mass destruction.

Blix recognised there were similarities between the period before the Iraq war and the nuclear showdown with Iran, but pointed out there were also "big differences."

"Iraq in 2002 was down on its knee," he said. "We had more than 700 inspections."

The Swedish diplomat was named head of a United Nations team in 2002 tasked with conducting inspections for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The United States and Britain led an invasion of Iraq in March 2003, using the weapons fears to justify the operation. Blix later accused the US and British governments of exaggerating Iraq's weapons threat to help build a case for war.

Weapons of mass destruction were never found in Iraq.

Blix is currently head of the independent Swedish Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission.

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