Tehran - The United States has not yet issued a visa for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend the United Nations General Assembly later this month in New York, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said Monday.

The spokesman said it was hoped that the visa would still be issued in time.

The Fars news agency had on Saturday reported that despite a

timely application, no visas have yet been issued for the president and any of the Iranian delegation members.

Tehran accused the US last year of purposefully delaying the process to disrupt the president's travel schedule. The visas were, however, eventually issued.

Tehran, September 15 : Archaeologists carrying out surveys in Bam, Kerman province, since the devastating earthquake in December 2003 have discovered a fort from the Achaemenid era.

Shahram Zare’, director of archaeological studies in Bam, said that studies conducted in 2005 had already confirmed that the remnants of an Achaemenid fort existed at the site.

Tehran, September 15 : Archeologists have discovered a burial ground and a unique burial ritual dating back to Sassanid and post-Islamic eras in northern Iran.

According to a report by FARS News Agency, recent excavations in the northern province of Mazandaran uncovered a burial ground, and brought to light a unique burial ritual.

Nails were discovered around the ancient bodies, but archeologists say that these did not come from any coffin.

The nails were found in a deliberate pattern.

One nail was found beside the knee, one beside the left shoulder, some on top of the head and a few others under the feet.

Tehran - The United States has not yet issued a visa for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend the United Nations General Assembly later this month in New York, Fars news agency reported Saturday.

Despite a timely application for the visas, no visas have yet been issued for the president and any of the Iranian delegation members, Fars said.

Nicosia, Sept 13: Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari on Friday has given a stern warning to Austrian energy firm OMV that unless it signs a deal on the Nabucco gas pipeline soon, Tehran will look for other partners.

The aim of the Nabucco pipeline is to transport at least 30 billion meters of natural gas per year from the Caspian Sea to Europe, bypassing Russia. OMV, the giant energy firm of Austria, is one of the six Nabucco partners.

London, Sept. 12 : Fresh evidence has emerged that suggests Iran has renewed work on developing nuclear weapons.

The Telegraph quoted Western security sources as saying that American spy satellites have identified a number of suspicious sites, which the Iranians have not declared to nuclear inspectors.

Intelligence officials believe these are being used for covert research. They report having discovered enough enriched uranium, which if processed to weapons grade level, could be used to make at least six atom bombs.