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National Council of Resistance of Iran National Council of Resistance of Iran US Representative Office 1747 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 1125, Washington, DC 20006; Tel: 202-747-7847; Fax 202-330-5346; [email protected]; twitter: @ncrius ________________________________________________________________________________ APRIL 21, 2017 Even after the JCPOA, Activities Still in Motion at SPND, Responsible for Manufacturing a Nuclear Weapon Revelations about Parchin Research Academy, the new main location for “Center for Research and Expansion of Technologies on Explosions and Impact (METFAZ)” Reliable information obtained by the network of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) inside the country shows that the “nerve center” of the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons project, responsible for designing the bomb, has been continuing its work. Following the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the nuclear deal reached in 2015, not only has the unit remained in place and its activities have not subsided, but it is now clear that in some fields its activities have even expanded. In this information, a new location tied to the nuclear weapons project, which has been kept a secret until now and away from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors has been exposed. Situation of the engineering unit for nuclear weapons The engineering unit for nuclear weapons program inside the Iranian regime is called the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (Sazman-e Pazhouheshhaye Novin-e Defa’i), known by its Persian acronym SPND. The organization is comprised of 7 subdivisions, each of which carrying out a certain portion of nuclear weapons research. Following several months of focused investigations and research conducted from inside the clerical regime including from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Defense Ministry, and SPND and following the compilation of reports on all the seven subdivisions of SPND, it has been determined that all of SPND’s subdivisions continue their work on the same 1 scale as prior to the 2015 nuclear deal. They are carrying out their research in various fields related to the manufacturing of a nuclear weapon. In some of these fields, new initiatives have also been undertaken in order to keep the real objectives of the research a secret and to cover up the real activities. The results of the investigations by the Iranian Resistance are based on onsite observations and reports compiled by dozens of sources affiliated with the MEK network inside the regime, including within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Defense Ministry, and SPND. The National Council of Resistance of Iran first revealed the existence of SPND in July 2011 in Washington, DC.1 Three years later, SPND was designated by the U.S. Department of State on August 29, 2014, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13382.2 The latest on SPND Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi, also known as Dr. Hassan Mohseni, is the key individual in the regime’s nuclear weapons program. He is a veteran IRGC brigadier general and continues to head SPND.3 Since the implementation of the latest changes within SPND during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani, this organization has been placed under the direct supervision of Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan, Rouhani’s Defense Minister.4 All of SPND’s personnel and experts are continuing their activities and there have been no changes to the structure of the organization. (SPND chart enclosed) 1 Opposition: Iran consolidates nuclear bomb effort, USA Today, July 23, 2011; https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-07-23-iran-nuclear-program_n.htm#mainstory 2 Additional Sanctions Imposed by the Department of State Targeting Iranian Proliferators, Department of State, August 29, 2014; https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/231159.htm 3 Brigadier General Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi is a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the main figure for the regime’s nuclear weapons development program. He attended the third North Korean nuclear test in February 2013 as an observer. Although the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has on multiple occasions requested an interview with him, the Iranian regime has refused. Due to his involvement in the regime’s nuclear weapons program, his name was listed among other sanctions individuals on the UN Security Council’s Resolution 1747 in March 2007. 4 Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan has been Rouhani’s Defense Minister since 2013. He was the second commander of the IRGC air force in the regime and acted as the Deputy Defense Minister during the seventh and eighth presidential administrations. 2 The organization’s headquarters is located at “Nour (Light) Building,”5 which is situated near the headquarters of the Defense Ministry on Langari Avenue in Tehran. (Satellite imagery enclosed) One of Fakhrizadeh’s offices is in this building. Situation at two key SPND organs, expansion of activities at METFAZ Two of the seven subdivisions of SPND play the most significant roles: - The first, Center for Research and Expansion of Technologies on Explosions and Impact (METFAZ) works on the trigger and high-impact and nonconventional explosions. - The second, Fakhar Moqaddam Group, works on uranium enrichment and enriched uranium. The Center for Research and Expansion of Technologies for Explosion and Impact The unit responsible for conducting research and building a trigger for a nuclear weapon is called the Center for Research and Expansion of Technologies for Explosion and Impact (Markaz-e Tahghighat va Tose’e Fanavari-e Enfejar va Zarbeh), known by its Farsi acronym as METFAZ. The director of this unit is currently an engineer named Mohammad Ferdowsi, who has been working at the Defense Ministry since 1986 and is a high-explosive expert. At the same time, he is the chairman of the board of directors of the High-Explosive Society of Malek Ashtar University (affiliated with the Defense Ministry).6 In September 2009, the NCRI revealed the existence of METFAZ as well as the location of its tests in the Khojir military district in eastern Tehran.7 The site is located in the Khojir military road leading to the Parchin military industrial site, and adjacent to Sanjarian Village. (Satellite imagery enclosed) However, the most recent investigation reveals that METFAZ conducts its main activities in another location, which has thus far remained a secret and away from the IAEA. 5 Nour Building: The building houses the headquarters of SPND, and its existence was first revealed by the Iranian Resistance in October 2013. The building is situated near the regime’s Defense Ministry at Langari Avenue in North Tehran. Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 11 pt 6 Mohammad Ferdowsi has been working at the Office of Scientific Research and Technological Development of the Defense Industries Organization since 1986. Ferdowsi is an expert in the field of high-impact explosives at Malek Ashtar University. The committee, which includes high-explosive experts, works at Malek Ashtar University and professional units of the Defense Ministry. 7 Khojir site is located in eastern Tehran near Jajroud River. There are two missile industry complexes within this site: Hemmat and Bakeri. These are the main locations for the manufacturing of the regime’s ballistic missiles. Both of these industrial complexes include several factories and manufacturing units, which are located in tunnels and underground facilities. 3 The “Research Academy”: METFAZ’s secret location The new intelligence reveals the existence of a new location, which is identified in SPND’s internal communications with the codename “Research Academy” (Pazhouheshkadeh). The Research Academy, in the internal communications of SPND, is also referred to as “Research,” (Tahghighat). This location has become the main center for METFAZ’s tests and other activities. Following the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, in order to avoid blowing the cover on METFAZ’s activities, a large portion of the activities conducted at METFAZ in Sanjarian, as well as the personnel working at the site, were transferred to the Research Academy situated within Parchin. The move resulted in the subsiding of activities at the Sanjarian site. The Iranian regime has done its utmost to keep the Research Academy, which is an important site, a secret from the eyes of international organizations. The reason for the move was based on the conclusion reached by regime officials that the probability for the IAEA to get access to Parchin in the future is extremely low, which means that the site is an optimal location for shielding the regime’s activities in this regard. The Research Academy is located within the Parchin site, which is a large military district about 30 miles south eastern Tehran, controlled by the Defense Ministry. There are 12 military and missile complexes in Parchin. The Defense Ministry calls each one of these industrial units a “Plan” (Tarh). Specifically, they are codenamed Plan 1, Plan 2 … Plan 12. The METFAZ center is situated at Plan 6 of the Parchin military industries and is called the Chemical Plan of Zeinoddin. The geographical area of the unit (plan) is about 500 acres. It is completely fenced in and fully protected. In order to conceal the true nature of its activities, the Research Academy conducts its research and activities under the cover of conventional research and tests related to Plan 6. Plan 6, known as Zeinoddin Industries, is a part of chemical industries of Parchin complex. Directions to Plan 6 of Parchin, which houses METFAZ’s Research Academy, is as follows: The end of Babai highway, Khojir-Parchin military road, after the tunnel on the southern side of Mamlo Dam. Entering into Parchin from the IRGC (Pasdaran) entrance, Plan 6 is located on the left side. (Satellite imagery enclosed) Based on the newly-obtained information, it became clear that the plan to identify a back-up location for METFAZ’s Sanjarian site was set in motion in 2005 by then-Deputy Defense Minister Brig.
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