Posted on 06/01/2012 12:34:49 AM PDT by Olog-hai
A U.S. think-tank has published satellite images which it says underscore suspicions that Iran is trying to destroy evidence of possible nuclear weapons-related research at a site that U.N. inspectors have not been allowed to visit.
The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) posted the pictures on its website hours after the U.N. nuclear watchdog showed diplomats similar images that western envoys said indicated a clean-up at the Parchin military facility.
Parchin, which Iran says is a conventional military complex, southeast of Tehran, is at the center of western allegations that Iran has conducted experiments—possibly a decade ago—that could help develop atom bombs. Iran denies any such ambition.
The new satellite images appear to back western suspicions that Iran is cleaning the site of any incriminating evidence, such as traces of uranium or other materials, before possibly allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to go there.
Western diplomats who attended Wednesday's closed-door briefing by the IAEA in Vienna told Reuters that two small buildings at Parchin had been removed, and ISIS said its pictures from May 25, published on isis-online.org, showed that they "have been completely razed".
"Iran is worried that the agency might find something there. Otherwise it wouldn't be going through the sanitization process," a senior western official said.
The pictures have been published after inconclusive talks last week between Tehran and six world powers that aim to end a nuclear standoff in which the West has intensified sanctions on Iran, and Israel and the United States have threatened military strikes to stop the Islamic Republic getting the bomb.
The IAEA has repeatedly asked Iran for access to Parchin. Last week, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying the IAEA had not yet given good enough reasons to visit the site. …
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Oh, c’mon. You know that Iran wouldn’t lie about its nukes, don’t you? Just a few more talks with no preconditions and all will be good, right Barky?
“Iran is worried that the agency might find something there. “
If they are so worried then they are not near ready to start Armagedon!
I don’t consider this a good sign. When they’re ready to remove the research buildings, I would assume that means they have finished the associated research.
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