Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday that Iran's nuclear case should be returned to the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors, the official IRNA news agency reported.

    "As the IAEA Director General Mohammad ElBaradei's report refers to, the two sides have agreed on a suitable framework," Mottaki told a joint press conference with his Ghanaian counterpart Nana Dankwa Akuffo-Addo in Tehran.

    The Iranian foreign minister noted that ElBaradei's report highlights "remarkable progress in Iran's resolve to continue its peaceful nuclear activities and expand relations with the Agency."

    "Continuation of such measures would further encourage public opinion in many countries to think of the return of Iran's case to the Board of Governors," Mottaki said.

    On Aug. 21, Iran and the IAEA agreed on a working plan to clarify outstanding ambiguities over Tehran's nuclear program after two days of talks between a visiting IAEA delegation and Iranian negotiators.

    The United States and other Western countries have accused Iran of trying to develop atomic weapons under a civilian cover, but Iran denies such accusation, saying it just wants to generate electricity.

    On March 24, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution, the second punitive one, with tougher sanctions to pressure Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.

    However, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report in May said that Iran continued to resist the UN Security Council ban on enrichment and instead was expanding its activities.