Paris: Israeli President Shimon Peres called on the world in an interview today to form a united front against Iran that would force the Islamic republic to end its pursuit of nuclear weapons. "Iran only has power when the world is divided," Peres told France's Le Figaro daily, referring to the stalemate over Iran's nuclear programme.

"If Iran is opposed by a united front, it will change its policy on the nuclear issue, the veteran statesman added. Peres noted that four countries, Ukraine, Libya, South Africa and North Korea, had already given up nuclear weapons under pressure from the international community. In the interview Peres also praised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after his party, which sprung from Islamist roots, won a landslide election victory Sunday.