Iran's top cleric Khamenei praises Ahmadinejad on nuclear issue

Teharan: Iran's top cleric, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Tuesday the Islamic Republic had won a victory in its nuclear programme.

In his first public comment on the nuclear issue since a UN watchdog report last week, Khamenei also praised the handling of the case by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has often alarmed the West with speeches vowing no compromise.

"One example of an advance by the Islamic system has been the nuclear issue, in which the Iranian nation has honestly and seriously achieved a great victory," Khamenei was quoted by state radio as telling Iranian officials.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in the report that Iran had clarified issues raised as part of a work plan agreed in August, but not answered Western allegations of studies into the possible weaponisation of nuclear materials.

Western powers are pushing for a third round of sanctions against Iran.