Pages

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Iran literally covering up Parchin nuclear test site

ISIS has been doing a stellar job in documenting, using satellite imagery, that Iran has been hiding suspected nuclear testing activity at Parchin. For example, here are images showing Iran's destruction of some buildings in the complex last May:

And then evidence that Iran was hiding the traces of those buildings:


But the large building on the site remains - the building suspected of housing a high-explosive testing chamber.

Apparently that building is too important to demolish right now, but also too much activity is taking place there that Iran doesn't want prying eyes to see.

So they are literally covering the building area with lots of pink tarp:
In an August 1, 2012 report, ISIS assessed that apparent cleanup activities at the Parchin site in Iran were complete because imagery showed what appeared to be the final result of considerable sanitization and earth displacement activity. A new GeoEye image dated August 15, 2012 shows that additional suspicious activity may be occurring at the building suspected of housing high explosive experiments related to the development of nuclear weapons and at an adjacent, northern building that may have also hosted suspect activities (figure 1). The new image shows what appears to be pink tent-like material over the two buildings. A Reuters article concurrently reported that “diplomatic sources said the building believed to be housing an explosives chamber - if it is still there - had been ‘wrapped’ with scaffolding and tarpaulin, hiding any sanitization or other activity there from satellite cameras.”




The latest satellite imagery clearly shows the suspected high explosive test building covered in a pink-colored material. A comparison with previous satellite images of the building shows that the size of the now covered building has visibly increased, especially in its height. In consultation with experts ISIS believes that the covering tarp is supported underneath by scaffolding which would account for the increase in size as well as for the horizontal lines appearing under the tarp (figure 1).

Similar activities appear to be taking place at the northernmost building at the site. Currently only part of the roof appears covered by the pink-colored tarp; however, similarly colored material is visible on the ground next to the building suggesting that it may soon be covered.
Nothing to hide?

(h/t Israel HaYom)