The National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI) United States representative office in a press conference on Friday revealed details of the Iranian regime’s new centers to continue nuclear activities. In addition, the NCRI revealed the regime’s attempts for destroying all the evidence of their nuclear activities.
According to the NCRI, new information received from sources within the Iranian regime reveals that a new center has been built to continue its work for weaponization of the Iranian regime’s nuclear program. The Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (Sazman-e Pazhouheshhaye Novin-e Defa’i), known by its Persian acronym SPND, is the institution within the Ministry of Defense pursuing this project. The Ministry of Defense is heavily controlled by the IRGC.
Soona Samsami, the representative of the NCRI U.S., opened the conference and by emphasizing that the Iranian regime has taken advantage of the Iran nuclear deal, JCPOA, to covertly continue the building of its nuclear weapons, said: “The appeasement policy of west allowed the regime to accelerate its drive to obtain nuclear weapons while negotiating with world powers. Obtaining nuclear weapons is part and parcel to the mullahs’ strategy for survival.”
1) Sona Samsami, NCRI’s rep. in the US: New information received from sources within the #Iranian regime reveals that a new center has been built to continue its work for the weaponization of the Iranian regime’s nuclear program.#Nuclear #Iranhttps://t.co/LT17mlqN1F
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 16, 2020
Mr. Alireza Jafarzadeh, NCRI-US office deputy director, during this conference, revealed: “According to top-secret intelligence obtained by the network inside Iran of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, (PMOI/MEK) from within the regime, SPND has continued its work following the JCPOA. The structure and the personnel of SPND remain intact and part of the institution has been expanded. Brig. Gen. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi continues to remain the head of this organ. Thus, the JCOPA notwithstanding, the Ministry of Defense and the IRGC have maintained their capabilities to build a nuclear weapon.”
“The location of this new site is north of Khojir site, which is the largest complex manufacturing ballistic missiles for the Hemmat Missile Industry and Bakeri Missile Industry. To the north of this new site (north of Damavand Road), command headquarters of the Aerospace Organization of Ministry of Defense and the Mechanical Industries of the Aerospace Organization (known as Mahallati Industries) are located in Hakimiyeh area.” Mr. Jafarzadeh added.
In April 2017, the NCRI-US Office revealed the continuation of such activities in a center known as Research Academy in the Parchin complex southeast of Tehran.
Mr. Jafarzadeh added: “Tehran has built its new site for SPND in the area of the complexes involved in building missiles, which would also provide a safe cover for its nuclear activities.”
“The construction project of the new site started in 2012 and its construction took several years. Around 2017, some sections of various groups of SPND, including the geophysics, known at the Chamran Group gradually moved in, as the construction of other sections of the site were later completed. By transferring parts of SPND, the area around the activities of its different sections has expanded. Moreover, by being located in a military area, it has found an appropriate cover to keep commutes by, and the identities of, the personnel working there a secret.”
The second SPND site presented by the NCRI is called the Marivan Site and is located near the town of Abadeh, Isfahan province. The site was first reported by the NCRI in 2017. It was built under the supervision of Ali Shamkhani, who is now the Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council and previously served as the defense minister under regime president Mohammad Khatami.
“What we have found out is that this site and the area surrounding it is completely controlled by the IRGC. Locals are not allowed in the area,” Jaffarzadeh said.
This site is linked with the activities of the “Center for Research and Expansion of Technologies on Explosions and Impact (METFAZ),” a SPND subsidiary involved in the building of nuclear weapons.
“In view of new documents about nuclear activities of the regime, Ahamd-Abad is most likely the Abadeh site,” Jaffarzadeh said.
Jaffarzadeh also added that after the IRGC became aware that this site had been revealed, it suddenly destroyed all the facilities on the location in July 2019, because those facilities could have proven tests related to nuclear weapons.
“June 2019 Satellite imagery shows the facilities existed, but they were razed to the ground completely by the IRGC in July 2019. After a year of sanitization, Tehran allowed the IAEA access on August 26, 2020.” Jaffarzadeh said.
The NCRI’s newest revelation shows the regime never abided by its commitments under the terms of the JCPOA, and the mullahs’ nuclear activities are not related to the United States’s withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018.
The regime’s attempts to obtain a nuclear weapon are part of the mullahs’ strategy for survival. Now, amid the increasing protests inside Iran, particularly after the major Iran protests in November 2019, and regarding the new change of the balance of regional forces against the regime and its repercussions for the mullahs’ survival, the regime needs an atomic bomb more than ever.