An Iranian resistance group claimed Thursday that it has compiled evidence showing Iran has been secretly developing a nuclear enrichment site for years outside Tehran; a development one official said proves Iran has a "hidden, secret nuclear weapons program."
The Iran Policy Committee hosted a press conference in Washington, D.C., where research from the Iranian resistance group was unveiled. The findings could not be independently confirmed.
The presenters cited evidence, including satellite imagery, they claimed was compiled after years of extensive research. They said that the Behjatabad-Abyek enrichment site is located near the city of Qazvin, about 75 miles outside of Tehran. The group claimed the regime has spent about $100 million to date on the underground project, which started in early 2005, and that construction is 85 percent complete.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, president of Strategic Policy Consulting, said the research shows the Iranian officials have been "lying through their teeth" in claiming to have disclosed all nuclear activity to international inspectors. He said it proves Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program, only more secretly than before.
Soona Samsami, an Iranian activist, called the project a "major" enrichment site more important than the facility at Qom confirmed by Western officials last year.
The opposition group was the first to reveal the existence of secret Iranian uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz, a heavy water facility in Arak back in 2002 and a few others. The sites were later confirmed by U.S. intelligence.
The report noted that while the rate of enrichment had not significantly changed over the past year, it was steady, with Tehran now accumulating about 2.8 tons of low-enriched material, nearly enough for three nuclear bombs since its program was revealed seven years ago.