'Aides of Pak scientist offered Iran nuke kit'

Citing unnamed foreign diplomats and US officials, The Post said the secret 1987 meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, between Iranian officials and Abdul Qadeer Khan's associates started both Iran's nuclear efforts and Khan's black market.

Iran, according to the newspaper, bought centrifuge designs and a starter kit for uranium enrichment.

While Iran recently told the International Atomic Energy Agency it turned down the chance to buy the more sensitive equipment required for building the core of a bomb, there is evidence the country used Khan's offer as a guide to acquire some of the pricier items elsewhere, the newspaper said.

It quoted an unnamed Western diplomat as saying the offer was the "strongest indication to date that Iran had a nuclear weapons programme, but it doesn't prove it completely."

The newspaper said much of the equipment Iran obtained could be used for peaceful purposes and is scattered throughout Iran's energy programme.

The United States has accused Iran of secretly pursuing an atomic weapons program under the cover of its nuclear energy program. Tehran, however, insists its nuclear activities are focused on producing energy.

The report surfaced as the IAEA prepares to meet next week.