Netanyahu Reveals Existence of 'Secret Nuclear Warehouse in Maher Alley, Tehran'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced during the UN General Assembly on Thursday that Iran has a secret nuclear warehouse in 'Torqozabad' Tehran that has not been disclosed until now, and he is revealing it now. Netanyahu displayed a placard indicating the location of this 'hidden' facility in 'Torqozabad' on a street named 'Maher' in the outskirts of Tehran. The entrance to a relatively dilapidated building shown in the photo by Netanyahu is about four and a half kilometers from Shourabad in the outskirts of Kahrizak and not far from Islamshahr. He stated: 'I am revealing for the first time that Iran has another secret facility in Tehran, a secret nuclear warehouse for storing a vast amount of equipment and materials from Iran's clandestine nuclear program.' Netanyahu said: 'This site is near a simple carpet cleaning shop, similar to a location in Shourabad where Iran's nuclear documents were hidden.' The Israeli Prime Minister said: 'Iran is actively trying to empty this secret location and scatter its equipment and facilities in other places.' Netanyahu attributed this to last year's Israeli action in obtaining Iran's nuclear documents in Shourabad. According to him, countries with satellite capabilities can observe these transfers in the warehouse that 'we have discovered.' Netanyahu stated that he has shared this issue with some leaders and also with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but this is the first time he is informing the world public about it. The Israeli Prime Minister asserted that Iran has not abandoned its goal of acquiring nuclear weapons, stating: 'Iran has a secret nuclear facility in Torqozabad on Maher Street in Tehran and has not informed the IAEA about it.' He added: 'Since we raided the nuclear archive (of Iran), they have been busy cleaning this nuclear warehouse. Just last month, they moved 15 kilograms of radioactive materials. Do you know what they did with it? They took those materials and scattered them around Tehran to eliminate evidence.' The Prime Minister expressed his belief that Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the IAEA, is a 'good man' but sent him a 'message' to act on this and 'send inspectors to inspect this warehouse before Iran cleans it up and tell the truth about Iran.' Netanyahu emphasized: 'I have a message for (Yukiya) Amano, go and visit this nuclear warehouse right now before the Iranians clean it up. Why don’t you inspect this area? Once and for all, tell the truth.' The IAEA has repeatedly emphasized that Iran has complied with its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) since the agreement was reached between Iran and world powers. However, the IAEA has not yet commented on Netanyahu's alleged report regarding a secret warehouse in the outskirts of Tehran. Netanyahu, in his speech at the General Assembly, added that his country has a message for the autocratic leaders of Tehran: Israel 'will never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and will do whatever is necessary to defend itself against Iranian aggression in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and anywhere and anytime.' He reiterated: 'Since we raided the nuclear archive (of Iran), they have been busy cleaning this nuclear warehouse. Just last month, they moved 15 kilograms of radioactive materials. Do you know what they did with it? They took those materials and scattered them around Tehran to eliminate evidence.' The Israeli Prime Minister noted that for the past two years, when he was speaking at the UN General Assembly, Israel was the only member of the organization opposing the JCPOA, and he emphasized at that time that providing money to Iran would not moderate the Tehran regime, and the problems of the Iranian people would not be solved with JCPOA money. He stated: 'The Iranian regime has not only not become moderate but has attacked the Kurds, the Sunni Syrians, and others.' Netanyahu expressed gratitude to the United States for exiting the JCPOA on August 6 this year. However, he acknowledged that 'the JCPOA, with all its evils, has had one important advantage for Israel, which is that Arab countries have come closer to Israel in an unbelievable way that he never imagined.' He stated: 'He follows the protests of the Iranian people who are asking their government to care for their nation and meets with Iranians in various parts of the West and knows that they want a different government.' The Israeli Prime Minister pointed out that his father was a historian and said: 'As a Jew and a citizen of the world,' he asks European leaders who met with Hassan Rouhani in the week when Iran was plotting to kill Europeans, 'Have you learned anything from history? Will you ever wake up?' Netanyahu referred to reports that Iran was apparently planning to attack a gathering of the Iranian Mojahedin Organization in mid-summer; Israel had stated that it had 'exposed' this plan. During his speech, there was no representative from Iran, which does not recognize Israel, present in the General Assembly hall. Netanyahu has spoken several times at UN General Assembly meetings over a 20-year period since 1998, both as his country's representative to the UN and as Prime Minister. His major speeches, especially in the last decade, have aimed to garner global support for Israel's policy against 'the dangers posed by Iran.' The Israeli Prime Minister, after his fifth meeting with Donald Trump, the President of the United States, in the past 21 months, told reporters on October 4 in New York: 'The greatest threat to Israel is not from Syria; it is not from Lebanon; it is not even from Iran's presence in Syria or from Iran's actions within its own country; rather, the ambition of the Islamic Republic to acquire nuclear weapons is the number one concerning threat to Israel.' Yossi Cohen, head of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, who is accompanying his Prime Minister on the trip to America, spoke on October 3 at the non-public section of the 'Alliance Against a Nuclear Iran' meeting with senior U.S. officials, including the National Security Advisor, and outlined the 'dangers of Iran.' Iranian President Hassan Rouhani defended Tehran's policies at the UN General Assembly on October 3; Mr. Rouhani also called on Security Council member states to continue supporting the JCPOA against the U.S. In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Benjamin Netanyahu accused Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, of accusing Israel of 'apartheid' while he himself 'pays stipends to terrorists who kill Israelis.' Just hours before Netanyahu's speech, Mahmoud Abbas stated in his speech at the UN General Assembly that Palestinians 'believe in peace and the desire to establish an independent Palestinian state.' However, Mr. Abbas added that 'Jerusalem is not for sale, and the rights of the Palestinian people are non-negotiable,' and called on the U.S. President to revoke his decision last year to recognize the city as the capital of Israel. President Donald Trump stated this week that the U.S. government's peace plan for the 'deal of the century' between Israel and the Palestinians will be presented in the next four months. Mr. Trump expressed confidence that the Palestinians would return to the negotiating table with Israel.