I’m sure it’s just coincidence that the UN’s toothless nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, chose to praise Iran (for what appears to be very minimal cooperation, at best) immediately after a speech by President Bush about Iran’s nuclear threat: IAEA: Iranian cooperation significant.

VIENNA, Austria - The U.N. nuclear agency said Thursday that Iran was producing less nuclear fuel than expected and praised Tehran for “a significant step forward” in explaining past atomic actions that have raised suspicions.

The assessment is expected to make it more difficult for the United States to rally support for a new round of sanctions against Tehran.

At the same time, the report confirmed that Iran continued to expand its uranium enrichment program, reflecting the Islamic republic’s defiance of the U.N. Security Council. Still, U.N. officials said, both enrichment and the building of a plutonium-producing reactor was continuing more slowly than expected.

Iran promptly touted the report as supporting Iran’s stand that the U.S.-led calls for a third round of U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment were unjustified.