"Subjects connected to the regional situation and the Iranian nuclear problem will be discussed in detail," ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin told the agency.

Interfax also quoted an unnamed source in the ministry as saying: "The visit is a planned event, and you should not expect any breakthroughs from it."

The announcement came shortly after the UN Security Council formally took up a European draft resolution mandating sanctions against Iran for its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear fuel work.

Iran faces sanctions after spurning an August 31 Security Council deadline to halt its uranium enrichment program -- a process that can lead to the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.

Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.