Dubai:Iran has begun construction at an underground nuclear facility at Fordo amid tensions with the US.  Citing satellite images, Associated Press reported that construction was taking place at the northwest corner of the site, near the holy Shiite city of Qom, 90 km from Tehran. 

According to the report which cited December 11 photographs of the site, there was a dug foundation for a building with dozens of pillars. The site sits near Fordo's underground facility, inside a mountain range to protect it from potential airstrikes. Earlier this week, a Twitter handle, Observer IL shared images of the Fordo facility.  The Tweet reads, "Uranium Enrichment Plan #IRAN - New construction activity located in the support/R&D area, 350 meters East of the actual complex. Levelling started in September 2020. Foundation trenches were dug for a new 50x70m structure which purpose is currently unknown."

US is likely to be watched keenly by the US which will witness a transition from Donald Trump administration to president-elect Joe Biden on January 20.Jeffrey Lewis, an expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies told AP, "Any changes at this site will be carefully watched as a sign of where Iran's nuclear program is headed."

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