IAEA chief arrives in Iran for talks over nuclear issue

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Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has arrived in Iran to arrange an inspection of the uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says there has been no secrecy over the announcement of the new plant to the nuclear watchdog.

ElBaradei's visit comes just days after Iran and six world powers restarted nuclear talks at a landmark session in Geneva.

A senior Iranian nuclear official says ElBaradei would discuss plans to allow IAEA inspectors to visit the plant. But he will not visit any nuclear site.

ElBaradei has said Iran should have revealed its plans as soon as it decided to build the facility.

However, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad challenged that view, saying Iran voluntarily revealed the facility to the IAEA in a letter on September 21, a year earlier than necessary.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, "I am of the belief that speaking about the danger of nuclear, chemical and biological arsenals is a plot to deceive. The main, most dangerous, arsenal is the media arsenal. They fabricate false news, repeat it and turn it into evidence and attack based on 'news'."

Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei,  center, makes his way as he arrives at the Imam Khomeini airport  south of the capital Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. ElBaradei  arrived in Iran to arrange an inspection of the uranium enrichment  facility near the holy city of Qom.(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)