Iran might be seeking to strike a secret $450 million uranium deal with Kazakhstan.
Reports suggest Tehran wants to obtain more than 1300 tons of uranium ore the country needs for its nuclear programme.
However, under UN sanctions, Iran is currently banned from importing anything that could contribute to its uranium enrichment activities.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has said it is fully complying with the law and International Atomic Agency rules and promises to investigate the matter. Tehran, however, has dismissed these reports.
"Iran certainly would be interested in purchasing uranium they could use to fuel their medical reactor in Teheran," says Gareth Porter, a Washington D.C.-based investigative journalist.“But the story line that says that there’s a rouge group of officials selling under-the-table-uranium – this is very reminiscent of a story going back to early 1990s, that Iran was getting nuclear assistance from Asia. To me, this story has all the earmarks of misinformation. And back then it was Israel that was planting that story in the world’s press."