The White House accused Iran Wednesday of an `unfortunate and disappointing` failure to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog agency and effectively rejecting a US offer for high-level talks.

Iran said it has no further obligation to the International Atomic Energy Agency even after the UN watchdog said in a report on Wednesday it needs more cooperation on Tehran`s disputed nuclear drive.

The UN atomic watchdog on Wednesday reported scant progress in its investigations into alleged suspect nuclear activities in both Iran and Syria.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, despite six years of intensive investigation, is no closer to determining whether Iran`s disputed nuclear drive is entirely peaceful as Tehran claims, the watchdog said in a new report Wednesday.

The first of a new class of multipurpose Russian nuclear attack submarines currently in construction will be operational by 2010, a Russian news agency reported Wednesday.

The Severodvinsk `will be operational in 2010,` Ria Novosti said citing naval official Nicolas Kalisstratov.

The UN atomic watchdog said Wednesday it could not yet determine if a building in a remote site in the Syrian desert bombed by Israeli planes last year was a nuclear reactor, as the United States claims.

Nevertheless, puzzling anomalies had been found at the site, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

Iran is still defying UN demands to suspend uranium enrichment and not cooperating with investigations into claims that its nuclear programme has a military aspect, the UN atomic watchdog said Wednesday.

The UN atomic watchdog cannot yet determine if a building in a remote site in the Syrian desert destroyed by Israeli planes last year was intended for nuclear use, the IAEA said in a report Wednesday.

Iran is still defying UN demands to suspend uranium enrichment and not cooperating with investigations into claims that its nuclear programme has a military aspect, the UN atomic watchdog said on Wednesday.

The UN atomic watchdog cannot yet determine if a building in a remote site in the Syrian desert destroyed by Israeli planes last year was intended for nuclear use, the IAEA found in a report Wednesday.