Ali Akbar Salehi told AFP this was part of Iran's continuing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to disprove allegations it is trying to secretly develop nuclear weapons.

Tehran faces the possibility the IAEA will judge it at a meeting in Vienna November 20 to be in non-compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and send the issue to the UN Security Council, which could then impose sanctions.

The main dispute is over traces of highly enriched uranium IAEA inspectors found at two sites in Iran.

The United States claims that Iran was using centrifuges to make highly enriched uranium that could be used to make the bomb, but the Iranians claim the particles came from contamination from equipment they bought aboard.

Salehi said IAEA inspectors have been able to see this equipment. He said Iran had recently "revealed to the inspectors the components (used to make the centrifuges) and the original drawings for these components."

The IAEA wants to know where the equipment came from but Salehi said Iran could not supply this information since it does not know, as the parts were bought on the black market when Tehran had to be "discreet" as it was developing its nuclear program in the face of international sanctions.

Salehi also said Iran would honor its promise to agree to sign an additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to allow wider, unannounced IAEA inspections.

He said a letter pledging agreement would be handed over to the IAEA before the agency's board of governors meets in Vienna on November 20.

IAEA officials had said the letter would be coming this week but Salehi said it would not be so soon.

WAR.WIRE