Tel Aviv: Only very special weapon systems may be capable of destroying the Iranian underground nuclear facilities. The US has such systems and in recent days Washington signaled that it is ready to use them.
According to Iran International, a website operated from London by the opposition to the Iranian regime, despite clear evidence, the head of Iran’s nuclear program has rejected the claims that the regime is building a deep underground nuclear facility.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting on May 24 (Wednesday), Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Mohammad Eslami insisted that the government would cooperate with international inspectors on any “new activities.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is working under the IAEA safeguards, and whenever it wants to start new activities, it will coordinate with the IAEA, and act accordingly,” Eslami said, referring to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He made the remarks following an Associated Press report that showed the regime is building a deep underground nuclear facility near the Zagros Mountains in central Iran, close to the Natanz nuclear site, with experts claiming development “is likely beyond the range of a last-ditch US weapon designed to destroy such sites.”
According to the website, Iran described the claims about an underground nuclear facility as “bogus” and “a psychological operation” originated by Israel. Eslami added that whenever Israel finds itself stuck in difficult situations in the region, it “intensifies these psychological operations more and more.” He did not elaborate on what he meant by a difficult situation.
The report analysed expert opinions as well as satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC to prove Iran’s activities near the Natanz nuclear site, which has come under repeated sabotage attacks amid Tehran’s standoff with the West over its atomic program. According to experts, photographs of the piles of dirt from the excavations suggest the new tunnels will be between 80 meters (260 feet) and 100 meters (328 feet) deep.
The US Air Force released rare images of the weapon, the GBU-57, known as the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator,” designed to destroy weapons of mass destruction located in well protected facilities. However, it immediately took the photos down because they revealed sensitive details about the weapon’s composition and punch.
According to Iran international, Natanz, about 225 kilometres (140 miles) south of Tehran, has been a point of international concern since its existence became known two decades ago. This is not the first time reports surface about Iran building a vast tunnel network near Natanz, purportedly able to withstand cyber-attacks and bunker-penetrating bombs.
Israeli sources say that the US still prefers “to believe the lies coming from Tehran” about the country’s nuclear program. “We in Israel follow that effort very closely and we know that Iran is one step from a nuclear bomb.”
While Israel makes big efforts to coordinate its policy toward Iran with Washington it keeps all options open.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
