Mysterious find may reveal Iran's bomb plan

Iran

Mysterious find may reveal Iran's bomb plan

Johan Edgar

Published 00.14

 

Satellite images show "fresh activity" at the Fordo facility. Photo: AP

A dozen bunker busters were dropped over Iran's underground nuclear facility.

Satellite images show mysterious activity in the area after the bombing.

New roads from the uranium cave have been built.

Six American bombers dropped two so-called bunker busters each in the attack on the Iranian Fordo nuclear facility where uranium is enriched deep inside a mountain.

President Trump claimed that the bombing was a phenomenal success and that the facility was "wiped out".

New images may provide answers

His Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been a little more cautious in his assessments.

But the overall American assessment is that Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons has been delayed by several years after the attacks on Fordow and two other nuclear facilities in the country.

 

In a pre-recorded television speech by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he declared victory. Photo: AP

At the same time, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has declared victory and said in a television speech that the damage to the nuclear facility was minor. Iranian state media has also stated that the facilities were evacuated before the attack and that the enriched uranium was moved to another location.

Now satellite images taken before and after the attack provide clues to the Iranian plan for the bombings.

"Fresh activity"

The latest images from Maxar Technologies show "fresh activity" around the facility, including new roads leading from important tunnel entrances underground, writes Newsweek.

The images also show vehicles used to move large amounts of soil around the northern part of the area.

The massive attack on Fordo took place on the night of June 21-22.

 

The satellite image shows equipment for transporting soil. Photo: Maxar Technologies Via AP

Satellite images taken in the days before the attack show several bulldozers and trucks near a tunnel entrance to the facility.

Experts now suspect that it was part of a coordinated effort to close or reinforce access roads.

 

Satellite images show damage to the facility in Fordo. Photo: Maxar Technologies Via AP

The theory behind the plan

The tunnel mouths appear to be filled with soil in the new images, writes Newsweek.

One theory is that the tunnels may have been filled with soil in an attempt to protect the underground assets – or to make it more difficult for the outside world to analyze the possible devastation, the newspaper reports.

 

Donald Trump lashed out at the Ayatollah at a press conference on Friday. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / AP

During a press conference at the White House on Friday, Donald Trump lashed out at the Ayatollah, accusing him of lying about the results of the bombing.

– You are a deeply religious man who is highly respected in your country. You have to tell the truth. You got the whip from hell, the president says, according to the New York Post.

Trump also said that he is ready to order new bombings if Iran continues to try to develop nuclear weapons.