The International Atomic Energy Agency, whose inspectors are in Iran as part of the nuclear deal, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The construction site sits northwest of Fordo's underground facility, built deep inside a mountain to protect it from potential airstrikes. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to stop enriching uranium at Fordo and instead make it "a nuclear, physics and technology center." "This location was a major sticking point in negotiations leading to the Iran nuclear deal," Lewis said. Meanwhile, an Iranian scientist who created its military nuclear program two decades ago recently was killed in a shooting outside of Tehran.

Source: Fox News December 18, 2020 07:18 UTC