Traces of enriched uranium discovered in Iran as fears of nuclear weapons grow

Uranium must be 90% purified for nuclear weapons and the uranium found was 84% ​​- which is the highest level found by the country's inspectors to date

The buildings of the Natanz uranium enrichment plant (

Image: Getty Images)

Traces of uranium enriched to near military level at a site linked to Iran's nuclear program have been discovered by United Nations inspectors.

Uranium needs to be 90% purified for nuclear weapons and the uranium found was 84%.

The discovery was leaked to US news agencies last night and while the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency declined to confirm it, Rafael Grossi, its director, said he was " in discussion with Iran".

Iran's Foreign Ministry has said that any claim that it enriches uranium for nuclear weapons is a "slander".

"So far, we have not made any attempt to enrich it above 60 percent," Behrouz Kamalvandi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said in a statement released by state media.

Uranium conversion plant in Isfahan, Iran (

Picture:

Getty Images)

He continued, "Presence of particles above 60% enrichment does not mean production with enrichment above 60%.

"It's something very natural that can even happen as a result of a decrease in power to the centrifuge cascades at some point. What matters is the end product, and the Islamic Republic of Iran has so far not attempted to enrich more than 60%."

The International Atomic Energy Agency says it is trying to clarify how Iran stockpiled enriched uranium at 84% purity, which is the highest level found by inspectors in the country to date.

The news comes after last month's unannounced inspection at the Fordo nuclear site found two advanced centrifuges connected in a way the Iranians had not told inspectors.