UNITED NATIONS, Nov 21: Pakistan on Thursday denied a news report originating in Vienna that suggested that Islamabad gave technological help or other supplies to Iran for its nuclear programme.

Vienna is headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations Munir Akram said: “it is inconceivable — strategically and technologically” for Pakistan to provide any kind of help to Tehran for its nuclear programme.

Mr Akram said that Iran’s nuclear programme was spread over 20 years, involving laser enrichment besides being plutonium- based which was technologically “far superior procedures than the uranium enrichment programme that Pakistan has.”

He asserted that the capability for uranium enrichment could only be acquired by Iran from a technologically superior country and not Pakistan.

On Thursday, a news report alleged that the UN atomic agency (IAEA) had identified Russia, China and Pakistan among the probable suppliers of equipment that Iran used to conduct its suspected nuclear weapons programmes.

However, the report was not attributed to any IAEA official but was leaked by one of the Vienna-based diplomats.