Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) toured Iran’s still under construction uranium enrichment facility in Qom today, just over a month after Iran revealed the site’s existance to the international community.
Western officials have criticized Iran for keeping the site, built under a mountain near a major city, secret for so long, but Iran insists that it was under no obligation to do so as the facility still hasn’t had any nuclear material introduced to it.
The site is much smaller than its existing Natanz facility. Iranian officials say that the location is being built to allow for some continuity in the event Israel or the US attacks its above ground sites.
Western officials have condemned the site as a “undeniable” violation of the NPT, and despite Iran having allowed the IAEA such quick access to the location officials maintain that they have “suspicions” about the nature of the facility.
