UN Nuclear Chief Flies to Iran

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Mohammed El Baradei, flew to Iran last night to try to avert an international crisis over Tehran's alleged programme to build a nuclear bomb.

Mr El Baradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, had not planned to visit the country in the run up to the October 31 deadline for it to hand over all documents relating to the suspected nuclear sites.

On his way to Iran, he told journalists that Tehran had not yet provided all the necessary information, and warned that the Islamic Republic could not expect an extension of the deadline.

"We need all the information we requested, and so far we have not received all this information," he said. "The key issue is the enrichment programme - to make sure we have seen all nuclear experiments that have taken place in Iran."

But he said Tehran had complied with the IAEA's request to visit Kolahdouz, a military site not far from the capital.

Earlier this week an Iranian dissident group claimed that the government was secretly developing a site to test centrifuges to produce weapons-grade uranium. The National Council of Resistance of Iran said a plant in central Iran was designed to run and test up to 180 centrifuges.

Iran insists that its nuclear programme is purely for civil purposes, but the British, US and other governments claim the evidence to the contrary is compelling.

The IAEA will meet on November 20 to discuss Tehran's response to the October deadline, and is likely to refer the issue to the UN security council. But western diplomats said non-compliance would not automatically mean economic sanctions.

Despite hints that either the US or Israel would make pre-emptive strikes on suspected sites rather than allow Iran to manufacture nuclear weapons, the British government wants to play down expectations that a re-run of the Iraq war is imminent.

It believes Iran would not be able to build a bomb for several years. In the meantime, while making its opposition to the programme clear, the British government hopes to give Iran an opportunity to back down without losing face.