Iran denies explosion at Fordo enrichment facility

TEHRAN,Jan.30(MNA) – Iran has denied the reports by a number of Western and Israeli media outlets claiming that a major explosion had occurred at the underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility. “No explosion has occurred at the Frodo facility,” Seyyed Shamseddin Barbroudi, the deputy director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said on Sunday. MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who is the chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also said on Sunday that the spreading of the false news of an explosion at the Fordo facility is part of the West’s propaganda campaign ahead of a new round of talks between Iran and the six major powers and is aimed at influencing the process and outcome of upcoming nuclear negotiations. A new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) is expected in February. According to Reuters, diplomats in Vienna, where the United Nations’ nuclear agency is based, said on Monday they had no knowledge of any incident at Fordo but were looking into the reports. One Western diplomat said he did not believe them to be correct. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which regularly inspects Iranian nuclear sites including Fordo, had no immediate comment.