Natanz nuclear facility in Iran
Photo: AFP
J'lem official: Iranians deceiving the world
As US, UK, France condemn Tehran over construction of second nuclear facility, top Israeli source says, 'International community must stop Iranian nuclear program, which continues to develop right under its nose without its supervision'
"It has been proven yet again that Iran is trying to deceive the entire world and is also misleading the supervising bodies," a top Israeli official told Ynet on Friday, after a secret nuclear plant in Iran was revealed on Friday.
The Israeli response was given while US President Barack Obama spoke at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh and harshly condemned the Iranian move. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy joined Obama in his censure.
The response came shortly after the International Atomic Energy Agency verified the existence of a letter from Tehran which confirmed that the Iranians had set up a second nuclear enrichment facility in the city of Qom.
The agency was told by Iran that the second plant will produce nuclear fuel only for the purpose of making electricity.
The Israeli source added, "It is clear from the IAEA's announcement today that Tehran's plan is much broader than what was reported in the past. The international community must stop the Iranian nuclear program, which continues to develop right under its nose, without it really supervising it."
"We view these recent developments very harshly," the source concluded.
The exposure of the new facility, and the storm it caused, come at the end of a busy week with diplomatic talks focusing on the Iranian nuclear issue.
The UN Security Council unanimously passed on Thursday a historic non-proliferation resolution, calling for stepped up efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote disarmament and "reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism."
