Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani attends the 43rd Conference on Security Policy set to examine the global security situation, in Munich, southern Germany, yesterday. Earlier, the Iranian state news agency IRNA, quoting the Iranian embassy in Germany, had reported that Larijani would not participate in the conference due to illness. (AFP)

washington • The United States is trying to fabricate Iran’s involvement in attacks on US troops in Iraq, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said in a radio interview aired on Friday.

Javad Zarif told National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” program that Iran has “no interest” in providing weapons to any insurgent group in Iraq.

“But the problem is that the United States has decided on a policy and is trying to find or fabricate evidence if it cannot find one — and I believe it hasn’t been able to find an evidence — in order to substantiate and corroborate that policy,” Zarif said.

American officials say Iran is fanning violence in Iraq by giving technology and other support to Shi’ite groups. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said there was some evidence Iran was the source of technology for a type of sophisticated road-side bomb.

“I’m just frankly not specifically certain myself of the details but I understand there is pretty good evidence tying (the bomb technology) to the Iranians,” Gates said at a NATO meeting on Friday in Spain.

Meanwhile, the most lethal weapon directed against American troops in Iraq is an explosive-packed cylinder that United States intelligence asserts is being supplied by Iran, The New York Times reported on its website late Friday.

Citing unnamed civilian and military officials, the newspaper said the conclusion reflects broad agreement among US intelligence agencies, although officials acknowledge that the picture is not entirely complete.

A new US National Intelligence Estimate claims that Iran is providing “lethal support” to Shiite militants in Iraq, the report said.