LONDON (AFP)- The international community is "lacking imagination" in terms of its negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said in an interview Tuesday.

"I am very worried on Iran. I think that the international community is also lacking imagination on Iran," De Villepin said in an interview with the Financial Times, Britain's leading business daily.

"Iran with nuclear military capacity is unacceptable. Iran must respect its international engagements, notably the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which it has signed," he told the FT, speaking from Paris.

Tehran insists is solely for peaceful purposes.

The UN Security Council adopted sanctions against Iran in December over Tehran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

"We must show Iran that firstly it has more to lose than gain from an enrichment program that worries the international community, but also that if Iran accepts to respect its international obligations, it has much more to gain than to lose," De Villepin said. "We must combine dialogue with firmness in our approach. I think the U.S. and Europe can go further in dialogue and proposals."