Iran Denies Mojahedin-e Khalq's Claim About Secret Site

According to Fars News Agency, Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York denied the claim made by the "National Council of Resistance" regarding the existence of a secret uranium enrichment site in the outskirts of Tehran, calling it "baseless and fabricated." The "National Council of Resistance," the political branch of the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization, reported on Tuesday, March 5, that it had provided information to the U.S. government about a "secret uranium enrichment site" in the outskirts of Tehran. The group held a press conference in Washington regarding this matter, and details of the news were also reflected in the Washington Post and Agence France-Presse. According to this opposition group, the "secret site" is named Lavizan-3 and is hidden within a military base located in northeastern Tehran. Iran's mission to the UN, while denying this claim, issued a statement regarding the publication of this report in the Washington Post, stating: "It is regrettable that this newspaper has published the false and repetitive claims of a terrorist group whose inhumane nature is clear to all." The statement concluded: "As stated in the reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency, cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Agency continues at a good level, and Iran adheres to its commitments and responsibilities under the NPT, expecting other parties to remain committed to agreements and obligations regarding Iran's nuclear rights, free from the influence of radical and extremist groups' sensationalism." Alireza Jafarzadeh, the deputy of the "National Council of Resistance" office in the U.S., stated in his press conference on Tuesday that "underground laboratories in the outskirts of Tehran have been used for uranium enrichment since 2008." He mentioned that "the sources of this new revelation are from inside Iran, including some individuals within the government." Jafarzadeh added that "gathering information about these facilities has taken a full decade, and most of this information has been provided by the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization." According to Agence France-Presse, the "National Council of Resistance" stated in this press conference that the construction of Lavizan-3 took place between 2004 and 2008, and its underground laboratories are interconnected by tunnels. Jafarzadeh presented several satellite images from "Google Maps" to reporters, claiming that the Islamic Republic of Iran has used "advanced centrifuge devices" at this location. The Mojahedin-e Khalq organization also claimed on July 9, 2013, to have obtained documents regarding the existence of a secret nuclear base near the city of Damavand, 70 kilometers from Tehran, a claim that was denied by Iran. The Mojahedin-e Khalq has repeatedly claimed to have discovered secret nuclear sites in Iran since the early 2000s, but only some of the reports from this organization have been confirmed. The news of the "new revelations" from the "National Council of Resistance" comes as Iran and the P5+1 group approach deadlines in their negotiations to resolve the nuclear dispute, with these negotiations ongoing intensively. The latest round of bilateral negotiations between Iran and the U.S. concluded on Tuesday in Geneva, with both sides expressing a positive assessment, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that progress had been made. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also mentioned that a general agreement had been reached, with only details remaining.