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Iran will continue to co-operate with the United Nations nuclear agency, a foreign ministry spokesman has said.

Hassan Qashqavi appeared to confirm reports last week that UN inspectors were allowed access to Iran's nearly complete nuclear reactor at Arak.

But Mr Qashqavi urged the West to seek "interaction" not sanctions in its dealings with Tehran, state TV reports.

Western nations fear Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, but Tehran insists its nuclear work is for civilian purposes.

Western diplomats said on Friday that Iran had allowed inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into its nuclear facility at Arak after a year without access.

They also said Iran had agreed on ways to improve monitoring at the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant.

The IAEA has not commented on the reports. The head of the IAEA, Mohammed ElBaradei, is due to publish his latest findings on Iran in the coming days.

"All our nuclear activities have been within the framework of the agency and the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)... ElBaradei has always confirmed Iran's co-operation with the agency," Mr Qashqavi told reporters.

"This trend will be continued in the future. What has been mentioned recently was in the same framework," he added, in an apparent reference to the visit to Arak, some 190km (120 miles) south-west of Tehran.

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