WASHINGTON - The United States has declared Venezuela's consul general in Miami persona non grata and asked her to leave by Tuesday, the State Department said on Sunday.

It said the move against Livia Acosta Noguera was taken in accordance with Article 23 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, but refused to give reasons.

The Venezuelan embassy in Washington was notified of the decision on Friday, the agency said in a statement.

Last month, the agency described as "very disturbing" reports that the female diplomat was once involved in an alleged Iranian plot to attack computers at sensitive US national security facilities.

Noticeably, the expulsion came as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a frequent critic of US foreign policy, was to receive his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later Sunday for a visit.