Washington- A US Congressional report on Iran's nuclear programme that the UN nuclear watchdog agency criticized as exaggerating the threat was meant to spark debate on Iran's intentions, the lawmaker who released it said Thursday. The report, made public last month by the Republican head of the House of Representatives intelligence committee, accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, citing its refusal to halt uranium enrichment and other evidence.

It also questions the willingness of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to pursue evidence pointing to an alleged Iranian nuclear-weapons programme.

In a letter revealed Thursday by the Washington Post, the IAEA says the 29-page report contains "erroneous, misleading and unsubstantiated information" about Iran's nuclear efforts. That includes an assertion that Iran has produced weapons-grade uranium.

And the report's suggestion that there may be "an unstated IAEA policy barring IAEA officials from telling the whole truth" about Iran's nuclear programme is "outrageous and dishonest," said the letter, dated September 12.

Representative Peter Hoekstra, a Republican who heads the intelligence panel, deflected the IAEA criticism.

"They do not attack the basic fundamental claims in the report," he said Thursday.

"If there is a problem with the facts - that's why this report is out there: so there can be a discussion on these issues before any decisions are made, so that we can inform the public," he told MSNBC television.

IAEA relations with the US were strained for some time when the Bush administration came to view IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei as reluctant to back US claims that Iran is seeking nuclear arms. ElBaradei kept his job, then won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

The IAEA was especially riled because the Congressional report raised suspicions about ElBaradei's removal of the agency's chief Iran nuclear inspector, Christopher Charlier, last spring.

"If Mr Charlier was removed for not adhering to an unstated IAEA policy barring IAEA officials from telling the whole truth about the Iranian nuclear programme, the United States and the international community have a serious problem on their hands," the report said.

In his letter to Hoekstra, IAEA official Vilmos Cserveny rejected that notion, saying Charlier was withdrawn at Iran's request.

Opposition Democrats said the full committee never voted to approve the report. Hoekstra said Democrats were consulted in its drafting.

The United States has led calls for sanctions against Iran, which says the only purpose of its nuclear programme is electricity generation.



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