New nuclear site reportedly protected from US bunker-buster bombs located near Natanz, Fox News reports.
Satellite images have revealed a secret Iranian nuclear site, Fox News reported on Thursday.
According to the report, the secret site is located in the Semnan province and is believed to be linked to the development of nuclear weapons. The site is code-named the “rainbow site” in Iran and covers about 2,500 acres.
This newly-discovered site is believed to have been operating for over a decade using a chemical production company as cover for its nuclear activities. The site is reportedly used to extract tritium, a radioactive gas that increases the explosive yield of nuclear weapons.
The site is also reportedly protected from American bunker-buster bombs, making it nearly immune from military attack.
The discovery of the secret site comes as the US is attempting to reach a new deal with Iran to end the Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapons program.
US Vice President JD Vance participated in an on-stage interview on Wednesday at the Munich Security Conference, during which he discussed the nuclear talks between the US and Iran.
Asked if the deal with Iran would be similar to the previous one made by the Obama administration (JCPOA), Vance pointed out two major points where the new deal must differ. “The enforcement or inspections regime was incredibly weak, I don’t think it actually served the function of preventing the Iranians from getting on the pathway to nuclear weapons.”
He added that, “We believe that there were some elements of their nuclear program that were preserved under JCPOA that, while they weren’t nuclear weapons, they allowed Iran to stay on this flight-path toward a nuclear weapon if they would flip the switch and press go.”
According to Vance, “There is a deal that would reintegrate Iran into the global economy, that would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they would get a nuclear weapon.”
US President Donald Trump declared on Monday that only the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program would be acceptable to him, warning of catastrophic consequences should Tehran acquire a nuclear weapon.
Speaking in a televised interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump clarified, “Total dismantlement. Yes, that is all I would accept.”
He added, “I want Iran to be really successful, really great, really fantastic. The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon.”
Trump emphasized that Iran must renounce any ambitions of developing such arms, stating “the world will be destroyed” if the Islamic Republic succeeds in developing them.
