Iran raises eyebrows with mystery construction

'We're not saying they're cheating on the nuclear deal.'

Satellite images reveal Iran's top-secret Parchin military complex has undergone quite the makeover between 2010 and 2016. The construction raises concerns about the nuclear deal and whether Iran has decided to cheat - or not.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - New satellite images reveal Iran's heavily-guarded mountain complex within the Parchin site has undergone renovations since the nuclear deal was in its negotiation stages.

What once housed vegetation and dirt roads has since become a paved and renovated area. Most notably, a reinforced tunnel entrance to Iran's subterranean facility has been covered and buildings have been relocated. 

So what is Iran doing?
"We're not saying they're cheating on the nuclear deal," Stratfor analyst, Sim Tack, told The Daily Beast. "The images show Iran was going through the motions to hide what it's done before, and it is still...developing facilities that the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] may or may not have access to."

So are the facilities continuing to develop nuclear weapons under the newly refurbished buildings? Is the vegetation wiped out to hide evidence of such a potentially toxic environment? No one knows.

Andy Weber, the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs, stated that IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano "visited the inside of the suspected explosives test chamber building, and found it had been emptied."

Where did the weapons go? Is it possible for the weapons to have been removed and returned following the inspection? What good are inspections if so? What of the covered subterranean tunnel entrance?

"The imagery showed  they were working on a tunnel entrance within the Parchin complex...and it looks like it's complete," Tack stated. "They were still going forward with that construction during the talks."

The subterranean complex can be anything - including Iran's ballistic missile program, which triggered U.S. sanctions in January.

Vice News recently reported three Congressmen released a letter on Thursday, February 4, asking permission to visit Iranian nuclear sites. 

In part, the letter  stated, "It would be of great value to our bilateral relationship, as we work together to Monitor [sic] US and Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal to allow us to inspect these facilities." 

Congressman Mike Pompea, one of the three who wish to see first-hand what Iran is doing, wrote in a statement: "If Iran is truly a partner in peace, as President Obama and Secretary [of State John] Kerry claim, then Iranian leaders should have no problem granting our visas and arranging the requested agenda."

Congressman Lee Zeldin released a statement, in which he said, "Americans deserve credible, first hand confirmation of what present day reality is in Iran, regarding the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal."

Hopefully, the Congressmen will receive both permission and their visas to determine whether Iran is keeping in step with the nuclear deal, or if foul play is afoot.

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