Israeli intelligence agencies planted explosives inside equipment destined for Iran’s nuclear programme, the Islamic Republic’s vice president has said.

Javad Zarif disclosed that Iranian officials discovered explosives embedded within a centrifuge platform.

“Our friends at the atomic energy organisation had bought a centrifuge platform and it was discovered that explosives had been embedded inside it,” Mr Zarif told state television on Tuesday.

The former foreign minister and chief negotiator of the 2015 nuclear deal with Western powers did not provide specific details about the incident or its timing.

However, a series of suspected sabotage attempts have targeted Iran’s nuclear programme in recent years, including attacks on key centres and the assassination of prominent nuclear scientists.