'Incident' damages construction near Iranian nuclear site - News Agencies and ILH Staff

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by News Agencies and ILH Staff

An "incident" damaged an under-construction building near the Natanz nuclear site, but no damage was caused to its centrifuge facility, Iranian spokesman says.

The Natanz nuclear site in Iran | Photo: Reuters

Centrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran 

(Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP)

An "incident" damaged an under-construction building Thursday near Iran's underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, though it did not affect its centrifuge operations or cause any release of radiation, an Iranian spokesman said.

The affected building, described as an "industrial shed," was above ground and not part of the enrichment facility itself, said Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Kamalvandi as saying there was "no need for concern" over the incident.

"There is no concern about the possibility of contamination as one of the sheds, which was inactive and under construction, was damaged and not the facility itself," Kamalvandi told IRNA.

However, there was no previously announced construction work at Natanz, a uranium enrichment center some 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the capital, Tehran. Natanz includes underground facilities buried under some 7.6 meters (25 feet) of concrete, which offers protection from airstrikes.
Natanz is among the sites now monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency after Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The IAEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the incident.

Last week, a large explosion from an area in the mountains east of Tehran, which analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites, shook the Iranian capital.

Natanz, in Iran's central Isfahan province, hosts the country's main uranium enrichment facility. There, centrifuges rapidly spin uranium hexafluoride gas to enrich uranium. Currently, the IAEA says Iran enriches uranium to about 4.5% purity, above the terms of the nuclear deal, but far below weapons-grade levels of 90%.

The US under President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018, setting up months of tensions between Tehran and Washington. Iran now is breaking all the production limits set by the deal, but still allows IAEA inspectors and cameras to watch its nuclear sites.

However, Natanz did become a point of controversy last year as Iranian officials refused to allow an IAEA inspector into the facility in October after allegedly testing positive for suspected traces of explosive nitrates. Nitrates are a common fertilizer. However, when mixed with proper amounts of fuel, the material can become an explosive as powerful as TNT. Swab tests, common at airports and other secure facilities, can detect its presence on the skin or objects.

News Agencies and ILH Staff

Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/07/02/incident-damages-construction-near-iran-nuclear-site/

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