Top scientist details Iran nuclear tradeoff

Washington: The father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme has written an official account that details an Iranian attempt to buy atomic bombs from Pakistan at the end of the 1980s.

Abdul Qadeer Khan states in documents obtained by The Washington Post that in lieu of weapons, Pakistan gave Iran bomb-related drawings, parts for centrifuges to purify uranium and a secret worldwide list of suppliers. Iran's centrifuges, which are viewed as building blocks for a nuclear arsenal, are largely based on designs obtained from Pakistan.

Khan's narrative calls into question Iran's longstanding stance that it has not sought nuclear arms. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last month that "we won't do that because we don't believe in having them". The account also conflicts with the Pakistani government's assertion that Khan proliferated nuclear know-how without government approval.

Pakistan has never disclosed Khan's written account. A summary of interrogations of Khan and four others in 2004, conducted by Pakistan's intelligence service and later provided to US and allied intelligence officials, omitted mention of the attempted nuclear bomb purchase. But Pakistan's former top military official in 2006 publicly hinted at it.

A top Pakistani government official at the time said Ali Shamkhani, the senior Iranian military officer named by Khan, came to Islamabad, Pakistan, seeking help on nuclear weapons. The former official also said Khan, acting with the knowledge of other top officials, then accelerated a secret stream of aid.