TEHRAN, Feb 8: Iran on Sunday denied it had received nuclear technology from Pakistan's top nuclear scientist, who admitted to having passed secrets to the Islamic republic.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Tehran had bought pieces of equipment that could raise suspicions and subsequently turned over the sellers' names to the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"Pakistan's worries are Iran's worries, but what is being raised in the media is not true," Asefi said, according to the state news agency IRNA, in the government's first reaction to the confession by Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.

"The Islamic Republic has bought certain parts from the middlemen whose names have been reported to the IAEA," Asefi said. "It is evident that the Islamic Republic is not aware of what is going on behind the scenes and we have just reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency the names of the middlemen from whom we bought the parts," he said.

"Pakistan is among the Islamic Republic's friends and we attach enormous importance to ties with Pakistan," he said. Iran has been asked by the IAEA to come clean on its nuclear programme, after hiding sensitive aspects, including enriching small amounts of uranium and plutonium, for 18 years.

It has defended its "inalienable right" to use nuclear energy for peaceful ends, although the United States suspects it is hiding a weapons programme. A Western envoy said early this week he looked forward to the day Tehran would begin demonstrating "the same voluntary providing of information" as Tripoli.

Western diplomats on the IAEA board have said that Iran does not volunteer information and is often slow in answering the questions the IAEA inspectors ask it.

Later this month the IAEA will give its 35 governing board member states the latest report on inspections of Iran's nuclear programme. Tehran insists its nuclear ambitions are limited to the peaceful generation of electricity. Washington alleges its nuclear activities are a front for the development of weapons. -Agencies