TEHRAN: Iran's official IRNA news service says the country has given samples to the UN nuclear agency from its Parchin military site, where it once allegedly worked on triggers for nuclear weapons.

Monday's report quotes Iran's atomic energy agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi as saying that "last week, several environment samples... taken by Iranian experts without the presence of the agency's inspectors, were given to the UN nuclear inspectors."

The transfer appears to be part of a confidential draft agreement that allows Iranian experts monitored by cameras to collect samples from Parchin.

Western nations have long suspected that Iran once worked on detonators for atomic weapons at Parchin. Iran insists it has never sought nuclear weapons. Iran allowed UN inspectors to visit Parchin twice in 2005.