This landmark 40-minute Iran nuclear revelation of Natanz & Arak sites by @NCRIUS on #ThisDayInHistory Aug 14, 2002 is well remembered by the Ayatollahs for preventing them from getting the Bomb, which they needed as guarantee for their survival. c-span.org/video/?172005-…
The #IAEA immediately asked to inspect the sites, Tehran dragged till October, then delayed again & finally IAEA was scheduled to visit Natanz on 21 February 2003; #MEK network in Iran found out that Iran intends to show all Natanz but not bldg where centrifuges were installed.
On 20 Feb 2003, Ms. Soona Samsami and I, in a press conference, called Tehran's trick, showed the building location of the centrifuges, urged inspections of entire Natanz. IAEA inspected the pilot centrifuge facility in Natanz; the trouble started for Iran's repressive rulers.
In that Feb 2003 conference, we also revealed another site known as Kala Electric where centrifuges had been tested. The #IAEA asked immediately to visit Kala Electric while in Iran, but was denied access and only allowed to take a look with no sampling taken a few weeks later.
#IAEA finally inspect Kale Electric in mid 2003 after Iran had totally refurbished the buildings. Tehran had failed to clean everything & traces of highly enriched uranium were found as @OlliHeinonen former IAEA Deputy Dir. General for Safeguards told BBC bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3c…
The Natanz revelation was followed by a chain of @NCRIUS revelations thru press conferences in Washington which showed other aspects of Iran regime nuclear program (weaponization); our revelation of Lavizan-Shian site in May 2003 led to push by IAEA to inspect it; Iran dragged.
IAEA was allowed in June 2004 to inspect the Lavizan-Shian site, only to see the entire buildings razed, soil removed, trees cut. The satellite imagery shows Tehran's destroyed evidence; #IAEA still found traces of highly enriched uranium as Ayatollahs were learning to conceal.
In another @NCRIUS revelation in May 2003, we revealed the site Lashkar Abad, which later led to the discovery of Iran's long-denied laser enrichment program. Tehran was perfecting parallel ways to enrich uranium.
Within a year after Natanz, information provided by MEK network in Iran revealed Tehran's plan to build the Bomb; international community started to get the full picture & extensive sanctions ensued. This partly explains Iran regime's fear of #MEK in the midst of #IranProtests.
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