Mr. Shevardnadze is the first Soviet official of his rank to visit Teheran since the 1979 revolution.

Turkey's Interior Minister is to visit Teheran on Friday, Iran's state-run news agency reported Monday.

When Richard Nixon visited Teheran in 1972, the Shah asked him to "help the Kurds make life difficult for our Iraqi neighbor and enemy."

They said Mr. Perez de Cuellar had no plans to visit Teheran on the basis of the discussions so far.

To present its version of events, Iran this week allowed a handful of foreign journalists to visit Teheran for five days.

Foreign reporters visiting Teheran, the Iranian capital, said they were shown several dozen hospital patients with blotched, peeling skin and labored breathing.

According to Iranian officials, he is also the highest-ranking Soviet figure to visit Teheran since the Islamic Revolution a decade ago.

Mr. North has not previously said in such explicit terms that he wanted Mr. Bush to visit Teheran.

In 1996 I visited Teheran and stayed in the Homa Hotel.

The Secretary General is to visit both Baghdad and Teheran shortly to press for a cease-fire resolution.