The United States expressed condolences Tuesday over the death of a South Korean nuclear inspector in Iran.

Seo Ok-seok, a 58-year-old inspector at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was killed earlier in the day in a car crash near a reactor site in central Iran, according to local media and the South Korean Embassy there.

"We certainly express our deepest condolences to the family of the inspector who passed away in the car accident as well as to the people of South Korea who lost, obviously, a fellow citizen,"

Mark Toner, deputy spokesman for the State Department said at a press briefing.

He said it was an "accident," reflecting a widespread view that there were no grounds to suspect a terrorist attack.

One of Seo's colleagues from Slovenia was injured in the crash.

Toner said, "We certainly wish him a speedy recovery."

Meanwhile, Seo's body has been moved to a nearby hospital for a funeral to be organized by IAEA, embassy officials said.

"A consular official has been dispatched to the scene to figure out the exact cause for the accident along with local police," an official said.

Seo had worked for the IAEA since 1998.(Yonhap News)