2023-05-23 05:25:00
AP analyzes satellite images of Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility
U.S. state-of-the-art ‘GBU-57’ out of range
The Associated Press released a video of the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran on the 22nd (local time) by Planet Labs, a private U.S. satellite image service company. The video shows Iran’s construction of a new nuclear facility. AP Yonhap News
Allegations have been made that Iran is building nuclear facilities deep underground, impenetrable even by the most advanced US bombers. Experts say that Iran, which has narrowed its diplomatic stride after Syria, which had been a friendly force led by its archenemy Saudi Arabia, is returning to the Arab League (AL), is trying to find a way out with nuclear weapons at the forefront.
The Associated Press analyzed the video taken on the 22nd (local time) of the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran by Planet Labs, a US private satellite image service company, and found that a new nuclear facility is being built at a depth of 80 to 100 meters underground. was reported to have captured. The nuclear facility is being built on the plateau of the Zagros Mountains, 140 miles (about 225 km) south of the capital, Tehran, and is located not far from the existing Natanz nuclear facility, which Iran previously announced would produce 60% enriched uranium.
Around the nuclear facility under construction, two entrances were observed, one from the east and the other from the west. The doorway is estimated to be 26 feet (8 m) high and 20 feet (6 m) wide. The nuclear facility site was surveyed to be 2.7 square kilometers, and many Iranian Revolutionary Guard air defense missiles were deployed around it. The Associated Press added, “Natanz is an area that became a subject of international interest when its existence became known to the outside world 20 years ago.” Experts were concerned that the possibility of large centrifuges being deployed at nuclear facilities could accelerate Iran’s uranium enrichment.
The problem is the depth of the nuclear facility. The Associated Press analyzed that the nuclear facilities were being built 80 to 100 meters underground, judging from the size of the tunnel and piles of dirt captured in the video. This is a depth beyond the range of destruction of the GBU-57, the so-called ‘bunker buster’, the US military’s air-to-surface guided bomb. The GBU-57 has the ability to destroy facilities 60m below ground.
Steve Dera Puente, a researcher at the International Institute for Science and Security (ISIS) in the United States, who participated in the analysis, explained, “It is difficult to destroy nuclear facilities to the depth where they are located with conventional weapons.” Furthermore, the non-profit organization Institute for Science and International Security expressed concern that “the depth of the tunnel is showing signs of getting deeper.” An anonymous U.S. official told The Associated Press that “we are considering dropping two GBU-57s in a row, but it’s unclear if that will work.”
Iran, whose room for maneuver is getting narrower in the international arena, welcomes Syria’s rejoining of the Arab League, but is feeling uneasy inside. This is because Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a pan-Shiite who has maintained close ties, has been directed to return home hand in hand with Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Sunni sect. Saudi Arabia also announced plans to inject huge amounts of money into Syria to help with reconstruction projects. The Jewish News Association (JNS), an Israeli media outlet, said, “It is difficult to say that Iran’s nuclear threat has been completely resolved just because Iran and Saudi Arabia have reconciled.
The United States, which is facing difficulties in nuclear negotiations with Iran, is in trouble. In response to an Associated Press inquiry on the same day, the White House said, “We believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve our goals,” but emphasized that “we have not removed any options from the table.” It is interpreted as meaning that military action will not be ruled out to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons.
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