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London: A Russian scientist may have helped Iran to design advanced detonators whose only possible use would be in a nuclear weapon, according to United Nations inspectors.
The Russian's alleged role was disclosed in a document obtained by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which describes complex and highly sensitive experiments supposedly conducted inside Iran.
In total, the IAEA possesses 18 official documents that cast doubt on Iran's explanation that its nuclear programme is a peaceful endeavour intended only to generate electricity.
This evidence, which Tehran claims has been faked, suggests that Iran has studied the stages for building a nuclear weapon.
Some documents focus on how to install a warhead in the Shahab-3 missile, while others describe facilities for testing a nuclear device.
The latest document covers the problem of detonating a nuclear device. Its suggestion that a Russian scientist was involved is the first evidence that foreign experts had a direct hand in Iran's nuclear programme.
But the IAEA believes this individual was not working on behalf of the Russian authorities and was present in Iran on a freelance basis. After the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, some Russian nuclear experts are known to have left to work for other governments.
This evidence was presented to diplomats by Olli Heinonen, the IAEA's head of safeguards, during a closed meeting in February.
When Iran's representative denied that this showed the existence of a nuclear weapons programme, Heinonen said the experiments were "not consistent with any application other than the development of a nuclear weapon", according to the New York Times.
He added that the detonators described in the document were "key components of nuclear weapons".
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