TEHRAN, Iran – An “incident” damaged a building under construction near Natanz’s underground nuclear enrichment facility in Iran on Thursday, although it did not affect its centrifuge operations or cause any radiation emissions, a spokesman said.
The affected building, described as an “industrial shed,” was on the ground and was not part of the enrichment facility itself, said Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization. The state news agency IRNA quoted Kamalvandi as saying there was “no need for concern” about the incident.
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However, no construction work had been previously announced at Natanz, a uranium enrichment center some 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the capital Tehran. Natanz includes underground facilities buried under about 7.6 meters (25 feet) of concrete, offering protection against air strikes.
Natanz is among the sites now monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency after Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The IAEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.
An “incident” damaged a building under construction on Thursday, July 2, 2020 near Natanz’s underground nuclear enrichment facility in Iran, although it did not affect its centrifuge operations or cause any radiation emissions.
Natanz, in the central Isfahan province of Iran, houses the country’s main uranium enrichment facility. There, centrifuges rapidly spin uranium hexafluoride gas to enrich uranium. Currently, the IAEA says Iran enriches uranium to about 4.5% purity, above the terms of the nuclear deal, but well below the 90% weapon grade levels.
The United States under President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018, creating months of tension between Tehran and Washington. Iran is now breaking all production limits set by the agreement, but it still allows IAEA inspectors and chambers to monitor its nuclear sites.
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However, Natanz became a point of controversy last year, as Iranian officials refused to allow an IAEA inspector to enter the facility in October after allegedly testing positive for traces of explosive nitrates. Nitrates are a common fertilizer. However, when mixed with the right amounts of fuel, the material can become as powerful an explosive as TNT. Swab tests, common in airports and other secure facilities, can detect their presence on skin or objects.
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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.
