New Signs of Activity at Iran Nuclear Site
New satellite images show possible recent nuclear activity at the Parchin facility in Iran as well as attempts to hide evidence of past activity.
An image of the Parchin facility east of Tehran from May 25 revealed “ground-scraping activity,” as well as the presence of bulldozers, according to diplomats quoted by international news services who attended a closed-door briefing by United Nations nuclear agency officials on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Institute for Science and International Security posted a similar image on its website. That image showed that two buildings that previously had been located on the site were razed, according to reports.
Last March, according to the International Atomic Energy Association, the nuclear watchdog of the UN, satellite images showed crews and vehicles cleaning up radioactive evidence of a test nuclear explosion.
The United States, China, France, Russia, Germany and Great Britain jointly called on Iran to grant inspectors access to the site. A report from the IAEA last year said that construction developments at Parchin are “strong indicators of possible weapon development.” Iran has dismissed the charges against Parchin as “childish” and “ridiculous”, Reuters reported.
This most recent image is believed to be further evidence that Iran is “sanitizing” the site of any incriminating evidence before possibly allowing International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors into the complex.
At Wedensday’s briefing, IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts presented the satellite images, which indicated that at least two small buildings had been removed.
Nackaerts did not elaborate on what he believed was happening at the site, apart from reiterating that the agency needed to go there to clarify the issue, diplomats told reporters.
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