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ElBaradei calls for openness in Iran

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog urged Iran on Monday to demonstrate "active cooperation and transparency" in its dealings with his agency so as to convince the world its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.

Washington slapped new sanctions on Iran last week and recent months have seen increasingly belligerent rhetoric that has prompted speculation of possible US military action.

Iran's ambassador warned that US unilateral measures risked undermining its cooperation with the atomic agency.

A top US diplomat said there was no sign Iran was going to suspend uranium enrichment and Washington was pushing ahead with drafting a new UN resolution on sanctions for late November to increase the pressure on Tehran.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it was regrettable that Iran had not suspended uranium enrichment and was continuing to build a heavy water reactor at Arak, contrary to Security Council decisions.

"The agency so far has been unable to verify certain important aspects relevant to the scope and nature of Iran's nuclear program," he said, but Iran had at least reached an agreement with the IAEA in August to address the issues.

Washington and other Western countries suspect Tehran is developing nuclear weapons, a charge that Iran has denied. The IAEA deal has also been criticized by some as allowing Iran to play for time while not suspending enrichment of uranium.

ElBaradei said Iran's agreement in August on a work plan with a defined timeline for addressing the various issues was "an important step in the right direction."

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign minister was to make a surprise visit to Iran yesterday for talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad amid growing differences between Moscow and the West over the Iranian atomic drive.

A source in the Iranian presidency, who did not wish to be named, said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was coming later in the day, while the media were told he would be meeting with Ahmadinejad at 4:30pm.

"The minister is scheduled to have a short working visit today in Iran," Russian foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said, the Interfax news agency reported.

No explanation was given for his trip, which comes two weeks after a landmark trip visit Iran by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first by a Kremlin chief since World War II.

Putin has in recent weeks been increasingly critical of US moves for more UN sanctions and unilateral sanctions as well as Washington's refusal to rule out military action against Tehran over its nuclear program.

"Why make the situation worse, bring it to a dead end, threaten sanctions or even military action," he said last Thursday ahead of an EU-Russia summit in Lisbon, Portugal. "You can run around like mad people wielding razor blades but it is not the best way to resolve the problem."
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