TEHRAN - Iran has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its plan to relocate the activities of the TESA complex in Karaj to the city of Natanz, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announced late on Friday.

In an interview with Nour News, which is affiliated to the Supreme National Security Council, Behrouz Kamalvandi said the move was taken to intensify security measures around Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Pointing to last year’s sabotage at the TESA complex, Kamalvandi said the transfer of some of the activities to an area near the Natanz nuclear plant aims to prevent the recurrence of such attacks, Press TV reported.

The complex in Karaj, on the outskirts of Tehran, saw a sabotage attack in June last year, which authorities blamed on Israel. The attack damaged surveillance cameras at the site.

In response to reports in Western media about construction activities near the Natanz nuclear site, Kamalvandi said the IAEA has been informed about it, even though Iran has no obligation to provide such information to the agency.

In a report on Thursday, the New York Times, citing unnamed Israeli and American intelligence officials, said Iran was digging a “vast tunnel network” south of the Natanz nuclear site.

The report said Biden administration officials have been following the construction of the new facility for more than a year, “but are not especially alarmed”.

Kamalvandi said Iran has no Safeguards obligation to inform the IAEA of its activities intended to promote passive defense capabilities in nuclear facilities and establish underground workshops to relocate some activities to new locations, but it has still notified the agency of all its measures.

He described Iran’s actions as “fully transparent” and blasted the Israel-affiliated media for creating a false atmosphere around the country’s peaceful nuclear program.