Germany's Siemens denies Iranian nuclear sabotage claim

[Gerald]

German engineering company Siemens has denied allegations that it planted explosive devices inside nuclear equipment destined for Iran.

Siemens said it has "no business ties to the Iranian nuclear programme".

An Iranian MP said the devices had been discovered before they could explode.

Iran is under UN sanctions and the MP did not say where the equipment had come from. Tehran is engaged in a standoff with Western countries which suspect it is building a nuclear bomb.

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed "serious concern" that Iran had continued to defy UN Security Council resolutions which demand the suspension of uranium enrichment and had failed to resolve questions about possible nuclear weapons development.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Iran is only six or seven months from having "90%" of what it needs to make a nuclear bomb.

He has urged the US to draw a "red line" which, if crossed, would lead to military intervention.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19690774

Note: 23 September 2012 Last updated at 10:33 GMT