VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The United States is lobbying allies in a bid to oust the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency, perhaps as early as the end of the month, diplomats and officials said yesterday.

The diplomats and officials from Western governments also told The Associated Press that - anticipating that present European diplomatic efforts will fail - Washington plans to ratchet up the pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme when the International Atomic Energy Agency meets February 28.

Washington, which accuses Tehran of making nuclear weapons and wants Iran brought before the UN Security Council for possible sanctions, considers IAEA head Mohammed ElBaradei too soft on Iran.

No US comment was available for Washington's strategies for the upcoming IAEA board of governors meeting.

With Elbaradei's agency spearheading international attempts to squelch nuclear proliferation, who controls the IAEA is key for US administration officials. They want someone sharing their view of which country represents a nuclear threat and what to do about them.

ElBaradei has challenged those views - first over prewar Iraq and then Iran, both labeled part of an "axis of evil" with North Korea by US President George W Bush.

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