UN atomic watchdog chief to visit Iran

Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Mohamed ElBaradei will visit Iran on January 11-12 to help resolve Iran's disputed atomic programme, an IAEA spokeswoman said on Monday.

Iran still remains a threat because of its continuing nuclear programme, US President George W. Bush said ahead of his visit to the Middle East this week.

Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment has been the main trigger for both existing UN sanctions and the threat of new ones.

The IAEA had said in a report in November that Iran had made important strides towards clarifying past nuclear activities.