Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Russia denies secret involvement in Iran's nuclear program

(AFP) . A top Russian security official on Tuesday denied a report that Israel had confronted Moscow with evidence that Russian experts were helping Iran build an atomic bomb, news agencies reported.

Nikolai Patrushev, head of Russia's national security council, said Moscow had received no information from foreign intelligence agencies about Russian companies or individuals helping Iran build a nuclear weapon.

His comments came after Britain's Sunday Times, citing Russian and Israeli sources, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had shown Russian leaders the evidence during a mysterious visit to Moscow last month.

"At the moment I do not know of any secret services or other agencies having given us information about our companies or individuals," Patrushev said, quoted by Interfax news agency, in response to the report.

"If they have such information, we will of course pay attention to it. But we do not have such information," added Patrushev, who is also a former chief of Russia's FSB security service.