Iran claims without evidence that it took Israeli nuclear files

Iran's intelligence minister claimed without offering evidence Sunday that Tehran seized an "important treasury" of information regarding Israel's nuclear programme, ahead of a week in which the Islamic Republic likely will face new diplomatic pressure over its own programme.

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The remarks by Esmail Khatib follow Iranian state television claiming Saturday that Iranian intelligence officials seized documents, again without any evidence.

Israel, whose undeclared atomic weapons programme makes it the only country in the Mideast with nuclear bombs, has not acknowledged any such Iranian operation targeting it though there have been arrests of Israelis allegedly spying for Tehran amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Iran, meanwhile, will likely face censure this week from the Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency over longstanding questions about its programme.

Iran has also signalled it will reject a proposal from the United States after five rounds of negotiations over its nuclear programme - setting the stage for that long-running crisis to potentially spike as well.

'Treasury' of secrets claim comes without evidence