Satellite Evidence Proves Explosion in Iran's Parchin Took Place - Ben Ariel

by Ben Ariel

Satellite evidence received by Israeli defense news website refutes Iran's denial that an explosion occurred at military compound.

 

 

Aerial view of Parchin site

Reuters

 

Satellite evidence has been received that refutes the denials of the Iranian government regarding this week’s mysterious explosion at the military compound in Parchin, Israel Defense reported on Wednesday.

Satellite images of the area, to the east of Tehran, prove that the explosion reported by the Iranian media had, indeed, occurred inside the military compound in Parchin, where, according to western intelligence agencies, trials are being conducted on nuclear missile fuzes.

Satellite images obtained by the Israel Defense website and analyzed by specialist Ronen Solomon clearly show damage consistent with an attack against bunkers in a central locality within the military research complex at the Parchin military compound.

The locality in question is situated at the center of the compound, adjacent to another installation where, according to intelligence sources, the trials being conducted involve controlled detonation of fuzes intended to serve as triggers for nuclear devices.

The locality consists of a sizable testing center and what appears to be an area with bunker-shaped structures. "Before and after" images indicate that a complete section of structures was simply eliminated by an unexplained explosion, according to the website.

The explosion wiped several testing units off the face of the earth while inflicting collateral damage on adjacent buildings, with traces of fire clearly visible in a section located in a sparsely afforested area.

The images, taken by the French satellite Pleiades at a 0.5 meter resolution on the day following the reports at 07:30 a.m., also show vehicles – probably fire trucks, at the scene.

At least two people, among them an unnamed "nuclear expert", were killed in Monday’s explosion at the compound, though official Iranian sources said that there had been an “incident,” but not an explosion.

The sources added that there was no nuclear work being done at Parchin.​

Iran has refused to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to access Parchin since 2005, and both opposition figures and others have accused the regime of using the site to house an illegal nuclear weapons program.

Last month, Israel's Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said he had "reliable information" that Parchin was being used for secret tests of technology that could be used only for detonating a nuclear weapon.

Satellite evidence last August and in 2012 suggested that nuclear bomb triggering devices are being tested in Parchin.


Ben Ariel

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185986#.VDbmXhYYjLN

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