Tehran  - The West considers the latest report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Iran's nuclear activities as another reason to impose new financial sanctions on the Islamic state.

Tehran, however, regards the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) report as yet another confirmation for the peaceful nature of its nuclear programmes.

"The latest IAEA report has once again acknowledged that there was no evidence which would show that Tehran's peaceful nuclear activities have been diverted for other purposes and hence confirmed Iran's longstanding assertions about their (peaceful) nature," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said.

Tehran  - The Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been appointed to defend the Persian Gulf, the official IRNA news agency reported Tuesday.

Former IRGC commander General Rahim Yahya Safavi told IRNA that IRGC naval forces were now in charge of defence in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman in case of any military conflict.

Iran's armed forces have been divided into the regular army and the IRGC since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Both forces are under the command of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Vienna - Iran is continuing to expand its uranium enrichment programme while obfuscating UN efforts to verify the nature of the country's nuclear ambitions, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday.

Mohamed ElBaradei also said that the agency had new information relating to past Iranian nuclear weapons-related studies, but had had no cooperation from the latter in clarifying their details.

Tehran - Tehran on Monday expressed hope that "outside pressure," especially by the United States, would not affect an upcoming report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on its nuclear programme.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi told reporters in Tehran the UN nuclear watchdog should only consider the technical and legal aspects in its report and not be influenced by political and Western media pressure.

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.