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WASHINGTON: The IAEA has found traces of highly enriched uranium in Iran, raising concerns that the country's alleged nuclear weapons program is much more advanced than suspected, The New York Times said Thursday quoting US and European diplomats. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had previously reported finding "weapons grade" traces of uranium, but had not revealed that some were from uranium refined to 90 percent of the rare 235 isotope. Iran has argued that the traces of highly enriched uranium was from contamination that occurred before imported equipment arrived in the country, the daily said. Iranian officials, the daily added, said they could not trace the origin of the contamination since they imported their equipment from middlemen in five countries.