Russia's foreign affairs ministry has slammed reports claiming that Vladimir Putin had encouraged Iran to accept a "zero enrichment" nuclear agreement.

Western countries and Israel suspect Tehran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, a claim Iran denies, defending what it calls its "non-negotiable" right to develop a civilian nuclear program.

"Putin would support zero enrichment. He encouraged the Iranians to work towards that in order to make negotiations with the Americans more favorable," a European source told Axios.