TEHRAN, Iran — In an unusually frank disclosure, Iran’s nuclear chief said Tuesday the country’s new uranium enrichment site was built for maximum protection from aerial attack: carved into a mountain and near a military compound of the powerful Revolutionary Guard.
Iran’s revelation that it covertly built a second uranium enrichment plant has raised international concerns that other secret nuclear sites might exist as well.
Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi’s statement came with a hard-line message ahead of crucial talks this week with the U.S. and other world powers — Iran will not give up its ability to produce nuclear fuel.
The details emerging about the secret site near the holy city of Qom have only heightened suspicions Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb, despite repeated denials.
Salehi, who is vice president and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, spoke at a news conference that touched on sensitive military and nuclear issues rarely discussed publicly in Iran. The effort at openness was seen as an attempt to counter international dismay over the nuclear site and a new round of missile tests this week.
“This site is at the base of a mountain and was selected on purpose in a place that would be protected against aerial attack. That’s why the site was chosen adjacent to a military site,” Salehi said.
“It was intended to safeguard our nuclear facilities and reduce the cost of an active defense system. If we had chosen another site, we would have had to set up another aerial defense system.”
He said Iran is willing to have a general discussion about nuclear technology when it meets Thursday in Geneva with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany. But he insisted Iran will not give up its “right” to uranium enrichment, which produces fuel that can be used for both nuclear energy or nuclear weapons.
“We will never bargain over our sovereign right,” said Salehi, repeating a long-held Iranian position.
The U.S. and its allies have demanded Iran come clean on all its nuclear activities or face harsher international sanctions. President Barack Obama’s administration is planning to push for new sanctions targeting Iran’s energy, financial and telecommunications sectors if it does not comply with international demands, according to U.S. officials.
Hard-line Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Karami Rad threatened Tuesday that Iran might pull out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty if the U.S. and its allies pressure Iran during the Geneva talks, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Iranian officials have dismissed such calls to pull out in the past, saying the country will remain committed to its obligations.
Salehi reiterated that Iran is in talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency to set a timetable soon for an inspection of the Qom site. He said the country did not feel bound by a U.S. demand to allow an inspection within a month.
“We are working out the timetable,” he said. “It could be sooner than a month or later.” Iran will officially inform the IAEA of details about the site at a later date, he said.
The nuclear facility, named Meshkat or Lantern, is located next to a military compound of the Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s most powerful military force, equipped with an air defense system, Salehi said.
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