Iran resumes work at underground nuclear facility

Western nations first discovered Fordo, a football field-sized nuclear facility built deep inside a mountain to protect it from potential airstrikes, in 2009. Since September, satellite imagery has shown ongoing construction at the northwest side of the Iranian nuclear facility. Images from Dec. 11 revealed a new foundation for a building with multiple pillars.

How has Iran responded? The government has not admitted to the new construction at Fordo. Alireza Miryousefi, spokesman of Iran’s mission to the United Nations, said none of the country’s nuclear activities are secret. The Iranian parliament on Dec. 1 approved a bill allowing uranium enrichment to about 20 percent. The United States in 2018 withdrew from a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and stepped up sanctions on the country since then. Iran is currently enriching up to 4.5 percent uranium, violating the nuclear accord’s limit of 3.67 percent.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Mindy Belz’s analysis on how quickly Iran could develop a nuclear weapon.