VIENNA, Austria -- Iran has been combing Europe and former Soviet states for materials and expertise for potential use in making atomic bombs, according to a leaked intelligence report likely to heighten tensions over Tehran's nuclear drive.
British, French, German and Belgian agencies pooled findings in a 55-page report used to brief governments of the European Union, three of which are conducting talks with Iran in an effort to rein in its nuclear-fuel development program.
The intelligence document, dated July 1, said a large and sophisticated web of Iranian straw companies, academic institutes and middlemen were focusing on Europe and ex-Soviet republics to acquire nuclear technology and know-how.
Asked about the report, which was leaked to Britain's Guardian newspaper, diplomats close to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cautioned that it offered no evidence that Iran was obtaining products of exclusive use in building nuclear weapons. |