The New York Times says that international inspectors have discovered evidence that North Korea secretly provided Libya with nearly two tons of uranium in early 2001.

The paper said Saturday that if such evidence is confirmed, it would be the first known case in which the North Korean government has sold a key ingredient for manufacturing atomic weapons to another country.

The reports quoted American officials and European diplomats familiar with the intelligence.

In Washington, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said he could not confirm the information, but said it bolsters the U.S. case for a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons programs.