image Photo: GPO, Kobi Gideon

Israel exposes additional secret sites in Iran’s nuclear program

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has disclosed new information about what he described as “additional secret sites in Iran’s nuclear program,”and accused the Islamic Republic of violating the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Netanyahu leveled the allegations during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem last night, in the wake of the confirmed discovery of uranium traces at a clandestine warehouse in Turquzabad by the International Atomic Energy Agency. According to the Israeli leader, “A year and a half ago, we exposed Iran’s secret nuclear archive which revealed that Iran was developing five nuclear warheads as early as 2003. Last year, we exposed Iran’s secret nuclear warehouse in Turquzabad which Iran used for storing materials and equipment for its secret nuclear program. Even before that, Iran knew that we were on to them, so they cleared the site.” Netanyahu said Iran has since “cleared” the site “of these capacities,” followed by the placement of gravel in a failed “actual cover-up” attempt. He then stated that ” The IAEA found traces of uranium that Iran hid in these sites,” declaring the evidence amounted to “a direct violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

Netanyahu further revealed that Israel had exposed yet another nuclear weapons development facility, citing a specific installation in Abadeh as “a site for developing nuclear weapons.” The Premier supported his accusations with satellite images of Abadeh, which has also allegedly been razed by the Iranians.

“Today, we reveal that yet another secret nuclear site was exposed in the archives that we brought from Tehran. In this site, Iran conducted experiments to develop nuclear weapons. This is the site near Abadeh, south of Isfahan. Exactly like in Turquzabad, when Iran realized that we uncovered the site, it immediately launched efforts to hide the site. Here is the Abadeh site before they realized it was exposed, and here is the site after they realized that we exposed it. They just wiped it out. They wiped out the entire site.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu also seized the opportunity to level a threat toward the Ayatollah regime in Tehran,  by vowing to expose the Islamic Republic’s continued campaign to acquire nuclear weapons. In a direct message to those he addressed as “the tyrants of Tehran,” Netanyahu warned: “Israel knows what you’re doing, Israel knows when you’re doing it and Israel knows where you’re doing it,” vowing, “We will continue to expose your lies. We will continue to do everything to thwart Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. And we will continue to act against Iran’s aggression everywhere, and all the time.”

Netanyahu also issued a call for the international community  “to wake up,” and to join the United States and the State of Israel in “exerting maximum pressure on Iran.”

Tehran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to the allegations by claiming Prime Minister Netanyahu was guilty of raising a false alarm while his own nation possesses nuclear weapons of its own. The top Iranian Foreign Minister further condemned Prime Minister Netanyahu for seeking to convince the world to go to war with the Islamic Republic, no matter the cost.