Iran Press/ Iran News: Behrouz Kamalvandi has made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the news website "Nornews".
Reacting to some Western media reports about Iran's construction activities around the Natanz site, Kamalvandi said: "Although Iran has no obligation to provide information beyond the Agency's safeguards, it has informed the Agency since the beginning of the construction measures to relocate the activities of the Karaj Tesa factory around the Natanz site."
"The move is aimed at increasing the protection of Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has been briefed on it," he added. "Given the full transparency of our country's actions, there is no doubt that the efforts of the Zionist-affiliated media to distract the general public, and to create suspicion for political purposes will not work."
The New York Times reported Friday that Iran is digging a vast tunnel network just south of the Natanz nuclear site.
The report claims that Iran is building facilities so deep in the mountains that they can withstand bunker-busting bombs and cyberattacks.
The New York Times has tried to portray construction activities in Natanz as covert and threatening.
Referring to the terrorist operations carried out last year against the Tesa centrifuge plant in Karaj, Kamalvandi said: "Due to the continuing malign activities against nuclear facilities, it was decided to intensify security measures, especially in sensitive facilities, and therefore centrifuge production sites."
"The International Atomic Energy Agency has failed to carry out its protection duties in such a way that it did not even take action to condemn terrorist acts against our country's facilities," he stated.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran, while not having any obligation to provide information beyond the Agency's safeguards such as activities aimed at enhancing the passive defense capabilities of nuclear facilities or establishing underground workshops to relocate some of its activities to new sites, has notified the Agency of all ongoing measures," Kamalvandi concluded.
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