"No one has tried more sincerely to reach out and engage with Iran than the President (Barack) Obama," Gates said after meeting his Italian counterpart Ignazio La Russa in Rome.

"The international community has offered the Iranian government multiple opportunities to provide reassurance of its intentions. The results have been very disappointing."

"If the international community will stand together and bring pressure on the Iranian government, I believe there is still time for sanctions and pressure to work. But we must all work together."

Gates comments came as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered Iran's atomic chief to boost the Islamic republic's uranium enrichment in a fresh challenge to world powers days after appearing to accept a UN-drafted nuclear fuel deal.

The West fears Tehran wants to enrich uranium to very high levels for use in an atomic weapons programme. Iran insists its nuclear enrichment drive is purely for peaceful purposes.

"Rather than single any country out, I would simply say I think all of us can do more," said Gates, who is on a tour of European capitals.

"I think that pressures that are focused on the government of Iran as opposed to the people of Iran potentially have greater opportunity to achieve the objective.

"We have seen what is going on inside Iran, I think the international community does not want the Iranien people to suffer more hardship than is absolutely necessary".

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