Satellite Images: Iran Evacuates Natanz Facility of Vital Cooling Equipment
Recent satellite images indicate that Iran transferred most of the cooling equipment from two buildings associated with the ventilation and air conditioning systems at the nuclear fuel enrichment facility in Natanz last week.
In an analysis of these movements, the head of the Institute for Science and International Security, David Albright, stated that "this step aims to reduce the risk of destruction of this vital equipment in the event of new airstrikes," noting that this equipment is "currently out of service due to power outages and the malfunction of the centrifuge facility, as a result of the attacks that occurred during what is known as the '12-day war' against Israel and America."
For his part, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, confirmed the continued Iranian manufacturing capability, stating: "Everyone agrees that the ability to produce more centrifuges is largely still present."
Grossi emphasized the need to verify the presence of enriched materials, saying: "I believe there is a general consensus that materials are generally still present in Iran, but of course, they need to be verified; some may have been lost, and there are technical ways to determine that, so this is what we are waiting for."
This development comes amid a halt in nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington since mid-June, against the backdrop of Israeli attacks in which the United States participated in carrying out some strikes on Iranian facilities.
The complexity of the nuclear file stems from Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement in 2018 during President Donald Trump's administration and the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to backtrack on some of its commitments regarding uranium enrichment.
Western countries are skeptical of the intentions behind Iran's nuclear program, while Tehran insists it is for purely peaceful purposes and defends its right to develop a civilian nuclear program.
