Taipei: Taiwan has launched an investigation into claims that companies in the country may have sold specialised equipment to Iran that could be used to make nuclear weapons, according to a report on Saturday.
"We are looking into the matter," Hsu Chun-fang, a spokesperson for Taiwan's Bureau of Foreign Trade was quoted by the Taipei Times as saying,
Export of sensitive items or to sensitive regions are restricted by the bureau and require permits, officials said.
Hsu was responding to a Daily Telegraph report that Iran's defence officials have met Taiwan-based firms to purchase hundreds of pressure transducers that can be used to make weapons-grade uranium.
The report said Iran had tried unsuccessfully to buy the equipment for more than a year from European and American firms before turning to a Taiwanese company.
The company acquired and "secretly shipped" to Tehran 100 transducers originally produced in Europe, the report said, adding Iran is now trying to obtain more highly restricted equipment from Taiwan.
UN officials are investigating whether the European companies conducted proper checks of end-user certificates for the equipment, it said.
"This is a serious loophole, as it enables Iran to acquire sophisticated equipment that can help it develop its nuclear programme," a UN source was quoted by the paper as saying.
"Pressure needs to be applied to the companies involved to stop doing business with Tehran while it is still refusing to co-operate with the UN," the source said.
