Under the title "Image of Parchin Nuclear Site in Iran.. 4 New Buildings", Al Arabiya.net reported that the "Intel Lab" research institute published a satellite image of the Parchin nuclear complex in Iran early Sunday, indicating the presence of four new buildings at the site.
The institute noted that the new buildings at Parchin are surrounded by "blast mounds" currently under construction. Previous reports indicated that search, development, and production of munitions, missiles, and explosives occur at Parchin, located near Tehran. Recent American press reports have also mentioned suspicious activities around the Parchin site.
### Ongoing Rejection and Secrecy
Iran's continuous refusal to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to visit this site—arguing that the agency had previously conducted inspections there in 2005 with no conclusive results—has raised many questions about its activities. The IAEA requested to visit the facility in late 2011 after noticing signs of new demolition and construction at the site. However, in February 2012, Iran denied entry to the international inspectors. In September 2015, Iran provided the then-director general of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, with samples taken from the suspect Parchin military site without the agency's inspectors being present, as reported by the official Iranian news agency at that time.
### Cleansing of the Parchin Complex
This came after an American research institution accused Iran in August 2015 of cleansing the Parchin military complex. The "Institute for Science and International Security", based in Washington, revealed satellite images showing vehicles and objects, such as containers, being transported from Parchin. Iran, however, stated that this was merely part of maintenance and road construction in the area. The institute explained that the images were captured after Iran signed an agreement with world powers on July 14 to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for a reduction of sanctions. At that time, it stated that "this new activity occurring after the July 14 agreement raises concerns that Iran is conducting additional cleansing operations to obstruct the verification process carried out by the IAEA."
### Erasing Evidence
The institute, founded by a former IAEA inspector to contribute scientific expertise to discussions regarding nuclear weapons, added: "This new activity may be yet another attempt to ensure that no conclusive evidence is found." It is noteworthy that, according to information provided by some member states to the IAEA years ago, the Parchin site may have witnessed hydrodynamic tests to measure the interaction of specific materials under high pressure, similar to what occurs in a nuclear explosion.
