More Underground Nuclear Facilities Best Option against US War Rhetoric: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian official urged more underground nuclear facilities to be constructed in the country as long as Washington's rhetoric of military action against Iran continues.
"We must ... say to the US that as long as you consider military option against Iran and your brazen lackey's (Israeli) continuous saber-rattling is in place, our facilities will not only remain underground, but will go deeper in the ground," Chief of the Iranian Judiciary's Human Rights Council Mohammad Javad Larijani told Tasnim.
Larijani, who is also a veteran diplomat, further questioned what Iran has agreed to undertake under a possible final nuclear deal with world powers regarding its underground nuclear site in Fordow.
He said Iran should not shut down Fordow while the US is making military threats, and should at the same time construct 5 other underground facilities.
In relevant remarks on May 6, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei reaffirmed that the Iranian nation will not let any possible act of aggression against the country go unanswered.
The Leader pointed to the nuclear talks and said, "It is unacceptable that the other side would continuously issue threats while the negotiations are underway."
Alluding to the recent military threats made by the US officials, Imam Khamenei underlined that Iranians will not tolerate nuclear negotiations under the pressure of threats.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on April 2 reached a framework agreement on Tehran's civilian nuclear program in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final, comprehensive accord until the end of June.
According to the Lausanne statement, "Fordow will be converted from an enrichment site into a nuclear, physics and technology center. International collaboration will be encouraged in agreed areas of research. There will not be any fissile material at Fordow."
