UN discovers ‘secret atomic warehouse’ in Iran that Israel exposed last year

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says uranium of a man-made origin has been discovered “at a location in Iran not declared to the agency.”

By World Israel News and AP

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says uranium of a man-made origin has been discovered “at a location in Iran not declared to the agency.”

The revelation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the first time it has acknowledged in a report that allegations made by the U.S. and Israel against Iran are true.

The IAEA did not identify the site in the confidential quarterly report distributed to member states and seen by The Associated Press on Monday.

However, Israel and the U.S. say the site was on the outskirts of Tehran, a location previously described by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “secret atomic warehouse.”

Israel has alleged that material at the site comes from an Iranian military program involving work on nuclear weapons. Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons and says its program is peaceful, contradicting evidence spirited out of Tehran during an Israeli mission to a secret location deep in Iran.

The IAEA confirmed that Iran is now enriching uranium at its underground Fordo facility, a move prohibited by 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran invited inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to Fordo to see its work.

The nuclear deal had called for Fordo to become a research center. It is now home to more than 1,000 centrifuges.

According to a confidential quarterly report distributed to member states, the IAEA said Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium still exceeds the amount allowed by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

It also said Iran continues to enrich uranium up to 4.5%, above the 3.67% allowed.

The agency says as of Nov. 3, Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium was 372.3 kilograms (820.78 pounds) compared to 241.6 kilograms reported on Aug. 19, and past the 202.8 kilogram limit.

Since the U.S. pulled out of the Iran nuclear pact last year and imposed sanctions, Iran has been slowly violating its provisions to pressure other nations to provide more incentives.

In addition to Iran’s illegal nuclear program, the Islamic Republic funds and trains terror militias throughout the region, which engage in proxy wars and skirmishes with host nations.

Iranian proxies include Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. In addition to terrorism, these proxies also engage in narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and other criminal enterprises.

The United States consistently ranks Iran as the world’s top state sponsor of terror.