Israel Points to Attack Blacking Out Iran Nuclear Facility
Posted by Scott Lucas | Apr 12, 2021 |
The Natanz nuclear research and development complex in central Iran
UPDATE, 0810 GMT: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, speaking to Parliament, has blamed Israel for the explosion and blackout at the Natanz nuclear facility: “Zionists want to take revenge for the success in the path of lifting the oppressive sanctions, but we will not allow it and we will take revenge for these actions from Zionists themselves.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh also vowed, “Iran’s response will be taking revenge on the Zionist regime in due time and place.”
Iran claims Natanz nuclear site hit by terrorist attack Intelligence sources say Israel’s spy agency carried out cyber attack
about 10 hours ago
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech on Iran’s National Nuclear Technology Day, as Tehran launched new advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear site. Photograph: Iranian Presidency/AFP via Getty
An incident at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday was caused by an act of “nuclear terrorism”, the country’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said, according to state television, adding that Tehran reserves the right to take action against the perpetrators.
Israel’s Kan public radio cited intelligence sources, whose nationality it did not disclose, as saying that Israel’s Mossad spy agency had carried out a cyber attack at the site.
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Iran s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a news conference in Caracas, Venezuela, November 5, 2020. (Matias Delacroix/AP)
Iran’s foreign minister on Monday blamed Israel for a power failure that reportedly caused massive damage to the Natanz nuclear facility, vowing to “take revenge on the Zionists” and to replace damaged centrifuges at the site with even better ones.
Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Tehran claimed it had identified the individual behind the attack and would arrest him. The report was based on the comments of an unnamed intelligence official who spoke to the Nournews website.
The apparent sabotage at the site was reported by the New York Times to have been caused by a massive blast at the centrifuges’ power supply. Israeli and US media quoted unnamed intelligence sources as saying it was believed to have caused significant damage to the centrifuges and set back Iran’s uranium enrichment ability by at least nine months.
After Natanz Attack, Israel and Iran on ‘Path to Escalation,’ Expert Says Daniel Sonnenfeld
Strike on uranium enrichment facility sure to draw a response, he says
Iran’s uranium enrichment site in Natanz reportedly experienced an explosion on Sunday, causing a power failure. Israeli and American officials pointed to Israel as responsible for the attack, claiming the explosion damaged the site and Iran’s ability to enrich uranium significantly, The New York Times reported.
The Islamic Republic’s nuclear program may need at least nine months to recover from the damage, the officials said.
Israel has not officially responded to the allegations.
Marvin G. Weinbaum
Director, Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies
As prescribed by the Biden administration in early March, the major stakeholders in the Afghan conflict have been beckoned to an April meeting in Turkey. The planned U.N.-headed conference is intended to give a strong kickoff to a new round of talks between the Taliban and a broadly representative Afghan delegation, leading directly to negotiating an interim government for the country. But almost everything about the conference seems up in the air.
To begin with, even after six weeks of discussion, no firm date for the meeting has been agreed upon. A tentative April 16 starting date for the conference now seems unrealistic, if not impossible, and the agenda is still being debated. Nor have all those invited confirmed their intention to attend. The Taliban seem particularly hesitant to commit. Attempts in Afghanistan to present a unified front for the talks have been frustrated by competing peace programs from various po