Workers are building a nuclear facility so deep below the Earth’s surface that it appears beyond the reach of a newly designed US weapon to destroy such sites, according to experts and satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press.
Photos and clips taken by Planet Labs BBC show Iran digging tunnels in the mountain near the Natanz nuclear reactor, which has been subjected to repeated sabotage attacks amid a confrontation between Tehran and the West about its nuclear program.
And with Iran now producing uranium close to weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its nuclear deal with world powers, the new location complicates Western efforts to prevent Tehran from developing an atomic bomb as diplomatic channels on its nuclear program continue to stagnate.
Completing this facility “would constitute a nightmare scenario that could trigger a new spiral of escalation,” warned Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Washington-based Arms Control Association.
The Associated Press quoted Davenport as saying, “Given how close Iran is to building a nuclear bomb, Tehran has very little room to step up its program without tripping American and Israeli red lines. At this point, any further escalation increases the risk of conflict.”
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