Incident at Iranian Nuclear Facility Damages Construction

Iran

July 2nd, 10:25am

Asharq Al-Awsat

This photo released Nov. 5, 2019, by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, shows centrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran. AP

An incident damaged an under-construction building Thursday near Iran's underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, a spokesman said. The affected building was above ground and not part of the enrichment facility itself, said Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Kamalvandi as saying there was “no need for concern” over the incident. "There is no concern about the possibility of contamination as one of the sheds which was inactive and under construction was damaged and not the facility itself," Kamalvandi told state news agency IRNA. Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of most international sanctions in a deal reached between Tehran and six world powers in 2015. But Tehran has gradually reduced its commitments to the accord since US President Donald Trump's administration withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed and intensified sanctions against it.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2366646/incident-iranian-nuclear-facility-damages-construction