UN nuclear head confirmed in post

Mr ElBaradei has supervised UN probes into Iran and Iraq

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, has been formally re-appointed for a third term.

Mr ElBaradei, 63, named as director of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1997, was confirmed in the role by a conference of the IAEA's 139 members.

His re-appointment had been in doubt until a few months ago amid UN concerns Mr ElBaradei was too soft on Iran.

The US eventually dropped objections to Mr ElBaradei's candidacy because many IAEA members did not share that view.

After his confirmation, Mr ElBaradei told the IAEA conference in Vienna that his work would continue to be guided by "independence and impartiality".

Last week the IAEA voted to refer Iran to the UN Security Council because of alleged breaches of the international Non-Proliferation Treaty and evasiveness about the extent of its nuclear programme.