Iran quickly welcomed the report as a vindication of its long-standing claim that its nuclear programme had only peaceful civilian aims.
Britain and France said they would continue to seek further sanctions against Iran. China and Russia so far have resisted tougher measures.
The NIE, a consensus of US intelligence agencies, concluded, “We do not know whether (Iran) currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.” That marked a dramatic shift from a 2005 intelligence report that stated Iran was “determined to develop nuclear weapons.”