Iran's Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said the Iranian president has permitted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to visit the country's nuclear sites, the semi- official Mehr news agency reported Wednesday.

"The president has permitted Ban to visit the nuclear sites and if he wants he can visit Iran's nuclear establishments," Salehi was quoted as saying.

Ban arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to attend the 16th Non- Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit slated for Aug. 30-31.

Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Khazaei, said Wednesday that the UN secretary general will meet with Iranian high-ranking officials during his stay in Iran, the semi- official Fars news agency reported.

Ban is scheduled to return to New York on Saturday, according to UN spokesman Farhan Haq.