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New revelations from an Iranian opposition group about what it claims is a secret nuclear facility could raise fresh questions about Iran鈥檚 credibility at a make-or-break moment in the international nuclear negotiations.

The exiled National Council of Resistance of Iran, which has uncovered a number of clandestine sites in Iran over a dozen years of nuclear sleuthing, on Tuesday claimed to expose a secret facility in a Tehran suburb where it says nuclear research and uranium enrichment are taking place in violation of international agreements.

The revelation comes as both the United States and Iran signal that they are making progress in talks aimed at reaching an international accord on Iran鈥檚 nuclear program by a March 31 deadline. And the exposure of another purported secret Iranian nuclear site joins other external factors 鈥� for example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 speech to Congress next week on the dangers of the deal 鈥� that are jostling the impending diplomatic dash in pursuit of an accord.

While some nuclear proliferation experts say they are not surprised by the rising outside challenges at a decisive moment in the talks, they also say those should not be viewed as enough to derail the diplomatic effort. If anything, they say, new factors like the claims of secret facilities only underscore the need to reach a deal that will limit Iran and allow for inspections of all the country鈥檚 facilities.

鈥淢any people are looking for ways to blow up these negotiations; some are legitimate concerns and some are less valid,鈥� says Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association in Washington. 鈥淭his report should be explored, but it should not be a reason to stop short of a deal that would address this problem [of undeclared sites] for a long time to come.鈥� 聽聽

The report also comes a week after the United Nations鈥� nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iran continued to stonewall on providing information on past nuclear weaponization activity. 聽

鈥淲hat we know is that [uranium] enrichment has been going on here, as has research and development, and it鈥檚 continuing as we speak,鈥� says Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the National Council (NCRI) Washington office. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the task of the United States and the [international community] to force an inspection鈥� of the site.

Mr. Jafarzadeh, who was behind the bombshell revelation of Iran鈥檚 Natanz uranium enrichment site and the Arak plutonium facility in 2002, says the group shared its information with US officials in the White House and at the State Department before holding a press conference Tuesday.

The dossier of information contains satellite photos of a 62-acre site in a northern Tehran suburb with extensive military facilities and residential buildings. Photos of heavily reinforced doorways in a series of underground work sites and other information about the site were provided by informants inside the regime and, in particular, in key ministries responsible for Iran鈥檚 nuclear program, the group says.

However, the information does not offer proof of nuclear activities at the site. The informants were unable to provide information about the level of the uranium enrichment they assert is taking place at the site, Jafarzadeh says, nor could they affirm the 鈥渆xtent鈥� of the enrichment or the number of on-site centrifuges, the fast-spinning machines that can be used to deliver weapons-grade uranium. 聽聽

According to Jafarzadeh, the information was also shared with some key members of Congress 鈥� some of whom have been at loggerheads with President Obama over his administration鈥檚 diplomatic effort with Tehran.聽

At a congressional hearing Tuesday, Secretary of State John Kerry said the administration has a guiding policy in the international nuclear talks 鈥� that 鈥淚ran will not get a nuclear weapon鈥� 鈥� and he said opposition to a deal is coming from parties that have no idea what an accord would include or what it would require of Iran.

But details have begun to leak out of an agreement that would strictly limit 鈥� and open up to thorough inspection 鈥� Iran鈥檚 nuclear activities for the coming decade. After what would essentially be a period of verified good behavior, restrictions would gradually be lifted on Iran鈥檚 uranium enrichment program.

Last week Mr. Netanyahu, who is scheduled to address Congress March 3 over objections from the White House, debunked the 鈥渙pposition out of ignorance鈥� argument by saying Israel has excellent sources within the international talks. He said his opposition to the deal taking shape is based not on conjecture but on knowledge that envisioned provisions would put not just Israel but the US and the world at risk.聽

At the NCRI press conference, the group鈥檚 US representative, Soona Samsami, said the latest revelations are further evidence that the international nuclear talks are 鈥渕isguided鈥� because the Iranian regime is not a reliable negotiating partner.

Some international security experts who favor a deal with Iran say the timing of the NCRI鈥檚 latest revelations is suspect. For its part, the group says it was only now that the information could be fully vetted.聽

Others caution that the group鈥檚 claims have not always panned out in the past.聽

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been right and they鈥檝e been wrong,鈥� says the Arms Control Association鈥檚 Mr. Kimball.

More critically in his view, he says, a good deal would allow for the kind of unconditional access to sites of interest, like the one revealed in today鈥檚 report, that does not exist under the prevailing international agreements with Iran.

鈥淚f anything, I鈥檇 say if you鈥檙e really interested in getting into sites like this you would want a comprehensive agreement that gives the IAEA unfettered access,鈥� Kimball says. 鈥淚f this kind of report is aimed at derailing the talks, I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 cutting off your nose to spite your face.鈥�