Mr ElBaradei told a news conference after the meetings that UN inspectors would check Tehran’s new uranium enrichment plant near the holy city of Qom on October 25.

He also announced that officials from the United States, Russia, France and Iran would hold talks in Vienna on October 19 on the possible enrichment abroad of Iran of Tehran’s uranium.

In Geneva last week, six world powers and Iran held the first such talks for 15 months over Tehran’s nuclear drive.

Western officials acknowledged that the encounter marked Iran’s “engagement” on its nuclear programme, which they said Iran had refused to discuss since July 2008.