IRAN: A senior US official said yesterday that satellite photographs of a suspected nuclear industrial site in Iran demonstrated its intention to develop atomic weapons, an allegation Tehran dismissed as "a new lie".
A prominent international expert had said on Wednesday that new satellite images showed that the Parchin military complex south-east of Tehran could be a site for research, testing and production of nuclear weapons.
Iran denies having an atomic bomb programme.
"This clearly shows the intention to develop weapons," a senior US official said on condition of anonymity.
He also accused the UN nuclear watchdog of suppressing information on Parchin in its latest report on Iran, a charge denied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
A senior Iranian official said the accusation that Tehran was hiding an atomic site from UN inspectors was a carefully-timed lie intended to influence a resolution on its nuclear programme being discussed this week in Vienna by the IAEA governors.
"This is a new lie, like the last 13 lies based on news reports that have been proved to be lies," said Mr Hossein Mousavian, Iran's chief delegate to the IAEA board meeting.
Mr Mousavian said the latest accusation was aimed at influencing talks on a draft resolution that could set the stage for a November showdown at the IAEA, which could in turn lead to Iran's case going to the sanctions-wielding UN Security Council.
Mr David Albright, a former US weapons inspector who heads the Institute for Science and International Security think-tank, made the allegation about Parchin on Wednesday, although he disagreed it clearly showed weapons intent. He also said the IAEA had asked to inspect Parchin but had been ignored.
Mr Mousavian said: "They have not asked to see the site, but we are ready to co-operate with the IAEA" if they wanted to go.
Asked if there had been a request on Parchin, an IAEA spokesman, Mr Mark Gwozdecky, would say only that it was "discussing with the Iranian authorities ... dual-use equipment and materials".
However, diplomats in Vienna confirmed that the agency had asked to go to the site but had received no answer.
Mr Gwozdecky dismissed as "baseless" the suggestion by the US officials that the IAEA had concealed information on Parchin.
The agency's chief, Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, said this week that he was not convinced that Iran's activities were entirely peaceful, but that there was no hard evidence to prove the belief Tehran was using its nuclear power programme as a front to build weapons.
Western intelligence agencies have recognised Parchin as a potential chemical, explosives and munitions production site since the 1990s.