VIENNA - The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog body on Friday rebuffed Western critics of a cooperation deal it has struck with Iran as "back-seat drivers" and urged them to give it time to work to help avoid war.

Under the Aug. 21 deal, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency and Tehran agreed on a rough timetable for addressing lingering questions about Iran's nuclear activities.

IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei said his agency would scrutinise Iran's pledge to cooperate by the end of the year and demand documents and other proof of good faith. If Iran reneged, it would jeopardise any grounds for future trust, he said.

He said critics had misread the pact in suggesting it ruled out future IAEA inquiries if new suspicions about Iranian activity arose, and lifted pressure on Iran to grant wider inspections or heed U.N. resolutions demanding it stop uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to make atom bombs.

"There have been back-seat drivers putting in their five cents saying this is not a good working arrangement," he told reporters invited into his Vienna office for a briefing.

"Iran can never get a pass (on their nuclear behaviour) until we decide to give them a pass. They may say (in public statements) that their file is now closed, but that is up to us.

"My advice is to bear with us until we go through this process ... We have a timeline which will enable us by November- December to check clearly whether Iran is ready to work with us in good faith, or whether, as some like to say, Iran is just buying time ... which would absolutely backfire (for them)."

The Islamic Republic says it wants to enrich uranium only to generate electricity, not make atom bombs as the West suspects. U.N. inspectors remain unable to certify Iran has no secret military nuclear facility, but have found no proof of one.


"WAR DRUMS"

"We don't see based on evidence we have that (Iran poses) a clear and present danger requiring you to go beyond diplomacy," he said, alluding to military action mooted by U.S. hardliners.

"I see war drums (being beaten) by those basically saying the short solution is to bomb Iran, which makes me shudder because the rhetoric reminds me of pre-Iraq war," he said.

A U.S. State Department spokesman voiced irritation with ElBaradei's remarks, saying that if they were directed at Washington "they certainly would not be true".

"I would certainly hope that everyone -- Dr ElBaradei included -- would focus on what the real issues are here," said Tom Casey, alluding to U.N. demands for an enrichment halt.

U.S.-IAEA tensions have flared in recent months. In June, Washington accused ElBaradei of "muddying" the message to Iran.

ElBaradei took aim at sharp criticism of IAEA-Iran dealings in U.S. media, which IAEA officials feel is being steered by Bush administration hawks fed up with Iran gradually expanding uranium enrichment while haggling with the IAEA.

"Some people have been trying to shoot down the plan before they even read it. If you look at some of the American newspapers today there is a coordinated, orchestrated campaign to undermine the process, undermine the agency, undermine me."

Iran says the deal is off if Western powers try to pass harsher sanctions through the U.N. Security Council over Tehran's persisting refusal to suspend enrichment work.

ElBaradei appealed for Western patience to avoid a spiral into bloodshed. "There is a need to be firm, but also a need to encourage Iran to cooperate," he said.

The U.S. envoy to the IAEA, who earlier cast grave doubt on the plan, said on Friday it had potential merit but Iran would have to allow wider-ranging inspections beyond declared nuclear sites to gain world confidence -- a point ElBaradei echoed.

ElBaradei said he expected the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors to support the plan at a meeting starting on Monday.