The Bush administration has granted a visa to Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to attend the opening of the UN General Assembly next week, the Washington Post said in a report on Wednesday.

Technically, Ahmadinejad was found ineligible for a visa under immigration laws that prohibit the issuance of a US visa if there is "reason to believe" that the applicant has ever been involved in activity that supports or furthers terrorism, the report said, citing a senior US State Department official.

The Bush administration has been probing whether Ahmadinejad, elected as Iranian president in June, was involved in the 1979 seizure of the US Embassy in Teheran. The student-led takeover resulted in the holding of 52 US hostages for 444 days.

At the request of the State Department, the Homeland Security Department ruled that Ahmadinejad, as a head of state, is able to attend the largest gathering of world leaders ever. However, the administration will call on Iran to address US queries about Ahmadinejad's activities during the embassy takeover and "clear up the remaining questions," the report said.

The United States has never turned down a visa request for a head of state to attend the opening session of the UN General Assembly, the report added.

Source: Xinhua