Iran not revealing all about its N programme, says IAEA

NEW YORK: Accusing Iran of holding back information on its atomic programme, the UN nuclear watchdog has said it has serious concerns over the alleged research into nuclear warheads by Tehran which owes "substantial explanation" to convince that its designs are peaceful.

Iran is also defying UN demands to suspend uranium enrichment and is producing more powerful centrifuges, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a strongly worded report which is bound to renew demands from the US and its western allies for tougher sanctions against Tehran.

The report is yet to be released officially but is said to accuse Iran of not providing all information especially relating to "high explosives testing" relating to nuclear programme as also uranium processing and warhead design.

"The Agency is of the view that Iran may have additional information, in particular on high explosives testing and missile related activities which... Iran should share with the agency," it said.

The information sought by IAEA is based on intelligence reports provided by the United States and other western intelligence services which Iran has rejected as "fabricated and baseless," asserting that the experiments had nothing to do with the nuclear programme which is for peaceful purposes.

"Substantive explanations are required from Iran to support its statements on the alleged studies and on other information with a possible military dimension," the report said.

On centrifuges for enriching uranium, the agency is said to be concerned that Tehran is producing more powerful ones as a result of the research.