Satellite photos show Iran has begun construction at its Natanz nuclear facility.
(Planet Labs Inc. via AP)DUBAI ā Iran has begun construction at its Natanz nuclear facility, satellite images released Wednesday show, just as the U.N. nuclear agency acknowledged Tehran is building an underground advanced centrifuge assembly plant after its last one exploded in a reported sabotage attack last summer.
āNothing in Iran regarding its peaceful nuclear program is being done in secret, in full keeping with the JCPOA, and as the IAEA has repeatedly confirmed,ā Miryousefi said in an email.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, though Western countries fear Tehran could use it to pursue atomic weapons.
Despite being one of the most-secure sites in Iran, Natanz was targeted by the Stuxnet computer virus ā believed to be the creation of the U.S. and Israel ā before the nuclear deal.