An Israeli official says an Iranian academic with ties to Iran's nuclear program has requested asylum in Israel.

Israeli Deputy Minister Ayoub Kara said Saturday the Iranian academic is awaiting a decision on the asylum request in a country "friendly" to Israel.

Kara did not identify the academic or the country. He said Israel will do all it can to help people who want to remove what he called the strategic and nuclear threat posed by Iran.

Israel, the United States and other Western nations accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

The Washington Post quotes U.S. officials as saying a growing number of Iranian nuclear experts are defecting or leaking information to the West about Iran's nuclear program.

In a report published Sunday, the newspaper quotes current and former officials in the United States and Europe as saying some of the most significant new material has come from scientists and others with access to Iran's military programs.

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