Iran accused of nuke cleanup

VIENNA— Satellite images of an Iranian military facility appear to show trucks and earth-moving vehicles at the site, indicating an attempted cleanup of radioactive traces possibly left by tests of a nuclear-weapon trigger, diplomats said.

Wednesday’s assertions from the diplomats, all nuclear experts accredited to the International Atomic Energy Agency, could add to the international pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, which Tehran insists is for peaceful purposes.

Two of the diplomats said the crews at the Parchin military site may be trying to erase evidence of tests of a small experimental neutron device used to set off a nuclear explosion. A third said any attempt to trigger a so-called neutron initiator could only be in the context of trying to develop nuclear arms.

The diplomats said they suspect attempts at sanitization because some of the vehicles at the scene appeared to be haulage trucks suited to carting off potentially contaminated soil. The IAEA has already identified Parchin as the location of suspected nuclear weaponsrelated testing.