IRAN: Iran, accused by the United States of trying to build an atomic bomb, yesterday dismissed new allegations that it was carrying out sensitive, undeclared nuclear activities at a military base.
Diplomats at the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna said UN inspectors had found components that could be used in advanced centrifuges for extracting enriched uranium, which can be used as nuclear fuel or to make an atomic bomb.
"Iran's nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and Iran has not had and nor does it have military nuclear activities," Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr Hamid Reza Asefi, said in a statement.
At issue is whether Iran made omissions in what it says was a full declaration of its nuclear technology to the IAEA in October.
"This stuff should have been declared," said one Western diplomat.
According to USA Today newspaper, the parts had been found at a military base called Doshan Tapeh.
Diplomats said the parts were compatible with the "P2" uranium-enrichment centrifuge, a Pakistani version of the advanced Western "G2" design.
But Mr Asefi said: "In none of Iran's military centres is a nuclear programme being pursued and P2 centrifuges do not exist in such centres."
There was no comment from the IAEA.