Iran is constructing at least two secret facilities to further the country’s nuclear weapons program, members of an Iranian opposition group said yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 5).

Engineers are building a nuclear fuel production plant and research facility as well as a heavy water production facility at two sites south of Tehran in central Iran, officials with the National Council of Resistance of Iran said.

“These two nuclear sites have been kept secret until now,” said Alireza Jafarzadeh, the council’s representative in the United States.

Both of the sites are nearly complete, Jafarzadeh said.  The heavy water production plant could be used support nuclear reactors that would be capable of producing weapon-grade materials, he said (John Lumpkin, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, Aug. 14).

Iran is currently building a nuclear power plant at the city of Bushehr with Russian assistance (see GSN, Aug. 1).  Experts and technicians from Russia and other former Soviet republics have worked at the two secret sites as well, Jafarzadeh said.  The International Atomic Energy Agency, which oversees the Bushehr project, has not inspected the two sites, he said (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Aug. 14).

The U.S. State Department has said that the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which encourages violent overthrow of the current Iranian government, is the same as an organization called Mujahedine Khalq, a terrorist group connected to the deaths of several U.S. citizens in Iran in the 1970s, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Nov. 26, 2001).  Iraq is also believed to provide support to the council (see GSN, Aug 5).

“It’s a terrorist organization,” said State spokesman Philip Reeker.  “It’s listed as such, designated as a foreign terrorist organization under U.S. law” (Lumpkin, Associated Press).

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

HOME  |  CONTACT US  |  GET INVOLVED  |  SITE MAP

Back to top