Iran starts moving nuclear plant to bunker
Source: Agencies |
August 23, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IRAN has started moving the machines that enrich uranium for nuclear fuel from its main atomic complex in the central city of Natanz to an underground bunker near the holy city of Qom, according to its top nuclear official.
Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani told state broadcaster IRIB: "The transfer of Natanz centrifuges to Fordow (near Qom) is under way with full observance of standards. Fordow's facilities are being prepared and some centrifuges have been transferred."
Iran announced in June its intention to shift production of higher-grade uranium to the underground site at Fordow despite international calls to halt uranium enrichment, which some countries allege is aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
Iran disclosed the existence of Fordow to the United Nations nuclear watchdog only in September 2009.
Moving sensitive nuclear work to the bunker could offer greater protection against attacks by Israel or the US, which have both said they will not rule out pre-emptive strikes to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.
Tehran said in June it aimed to triple its capacity to enrich uranium to a higher grade, which it claimed will be used to power a medical research reactor.
Iran said it is now manufacturing nuclear fuel plates for that purpose, although Western officials and analysts fear Tehran's actual goal is to enrich to the level required for nuclear weapons.
The director of the UN's Inter-national Atomic Energy Agency, General Yukiya Amano, said moving centrifuges to Qom and increasing enrichment capacity was a "further deviation" from several UN Security Council resolutions demanding Iran suspend enrichment-related activities and enter serious negotiations on a peaceful solution to the dispute.
Amano said the IAEA was in talks with Iran on how the agency's inspectors will monitor activities at Fordow.
Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani told state broadcaster IRIB: "The transfer of Natanz centrifuges to Fordow (near Qom) is under way with full observance of standards. Fordow's facilities are being prepared and some centrifuges have been transferred."
Iran announced in June its intention to shift production of higher-grade uranium to the underground site at Fordow despite international calls to halt uranium enrichment, which some countries allege is aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
Iran disclosed the existence of Fordow to the United Nations nuclear watchdog only in September 2009.
Moving sensitive nuclear work to the bunker could offer greater protection against attacks by Israel or the US, which have both said they will not rule out pre-emptive strikes to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.
Tehran said in June it aimed to triple its capacity to enrich uranium to a higher grade, which it claimed will be used to power a medical research reactor.
Iran said it is now manufacturing nuclear fuel plates for that purpose, although Western officials and analysts fear Tehran's actual goal is to enrich to the level required for nuclear weapons.
The director of the UN's Inter-national Atomic Energy Agency, General Yukiya Amano, said moving centrifuges to Qom and increasing enrichment capacity was a "further deviation" from several UN Security Council resolutions demanding Iran suspend enrichment-related activities and enter serious negotiations on a peaceful solution to the dispute.
Amano said the IAEA was in talks with Iran on how the agency's inspectors will monitor activities at Fordow.
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