The UN nuclear watchdog agency said Tuesday it will send a team of inspectors early next week to Iran's disputed Arak heavy water reactor - a key step in efforts to allay lingering concerns over the country's nuclear program.

Olli Heinonen, deputy director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters after meeting with a delegation from Iran that the team planned to head to Arak next Monday or Tuesday. Arak will produce plutonium once it is completed sometime in the next decade, and the UN Security Council has demanded that Iran stop construction. (AP)