A top Iranian official said yesterday that his country had suspended its enrichment of uranium and sent a letter to the UN nuclear watchdog accepting additional inspections of its nuclear facilities.

"Before your government, I officially announce that we are giving the International Atomic Energy Agency a letter agreeing with the additional protocol today," Hasan Rowhani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said before a Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"From today, we are temporarily suspending our process of uranium enrichment."

Rowhani's statements were aimed at eliminating suspicions that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. The protocol appended to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty would allow IAEA inspectors to perform snap inspections and otherwise extend their probe of Iranian nuclear activities that had previously been off-limits.

Enriching uranium is a process that creates fuel for nuclear plants but also can be used to build weapons. Tehran says it has enriched uranium only to non-weapons levels, as part of purely peaceful nuclear programs meant to produce power as its oil stocks decline.

Iran had pledged in recent weeks to allow unfettered inspections and suspend enrichment, but the time frame was unclear.

The United States accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons and has pressed for the IAEA to declare Iran in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Washington has urged Moscow to freeze its $800 million deal to help build Iran's first nuclear power reactor, saying it could help Iran develop nuclear weapons. The Kremlin has said it shares some of the US concerns and prodded Tehran to accept tighter controls by the IAEA. Moscow has also insisted that all spent fuel be returned to Russia.

Putin indicated that Moscow was satisfied with Rowhani's pledges.

"With regard to the enrichment of uranium, Iran has a right to carry out these kinds of activities but we are pleased to note that Iran has itself resolved to limit itself," Putin said.

Traces of weapons-grade uranium have been found on enrichment centrifuges at two Iranian facilities, but Iranian officials say the imported equipment was contaminated abroad before Iran received it.

Before traveling to Moscow, Rowhani met in Vienna with the head of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei, who is currently preparing a report to the IAEA board of governors on Tehran's nuclear activities.

The board will consider ElBaradei's report on Nov. 20. If the board decides that the report justifies declaring Tehran in violation of the Nonproliferation Treaty, it will ask the UN Security Council to get involved. The council, in turn, could impose sanctions.