Iran Blames Israel for Assault on Nuclear Site, Vows Revenge

(Bloomberg) --

Iran blamed Israel for an attack that it said damaged centrifuges at its largest uranium enrichment plant, raising geopolitical tensions around Iran’s nuclear program as diplomats try to revive the international deal that contained it.

“Various sources have confirmed Israel was behind the attack” Sunday at the underground facility at Natanz, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a press conference on Monday, without giving further details.

IR-1 centrifuges were damaged but it is too soon to assess the scale of the damage as each affected device must be tested, he said. Iran is in touch with the United Nations about the incident, and “will reserve all rights” to respond, Khatibzadeh added.

Iran Blames ‘Nuclear Terrorism’ for Incident at Enrichment Site

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility, as is its policy in such cases. But suspicion has widely fallen upon it due to its involvement in other attacks on Iran’s nuclear program and its vehement opposition to U.S. efforts to rejoin world powers’ 2015 deal with Tehran, which traded sanctions relief for curbs on its atomic program.

“The struggle against Iran, its satellite groups and its weapons is an enormous task,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told high-ranking security officials, according to a statement posted on his official website after the attack. “The situation as it exists today will not necessarily be the situation that exists tomorrow.”

The Trump administration pulled out of the accord in 2018 and reimposed crushing sanctions.

The attack at Natanz occurred while U.S. Defense Secreatary Lloyd Austin was visiting Israel and shortly before diplomats from Iran, China, Russia, the European Union and the U.S. gather in Vienna on Wednesday to resume talks on lifting U.S. sanctions and returning Iran to full compliance with the curbs on its nuclear program.

Earlier Monday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested Israel was to blame, without officially accusing it.

“The Zionists want to take revenge on the people of Iran for their successes on the path of lifting cruel sanctions, but we will not allow this and we will take revenge on the Zionists for these steps,” Zarif said in parliament.

Iran’s response will be “further development of nuclear progress,” he said. “Natanz will built be stronger than before, using more advanced machines, and if they think our hand in negotiations has been weakened, in fact this despicable act will make our position in negotiations stronger.”

Incident Details

The Natanz enrichment site suffered an electrical problem on Sunday, with Iran’s top nuclear official calling the incident “nuclear terrorism” aimed at thwarting the country’s atomic program and international diplomacy around it.

One person responsible for causing a power cut at the facility has been identified and is being sought for arrest, semi-official Nour News reported, citing an unnamed official in the Ministry of Intelligence.

The spokesman for Iran’s nuclear organization, Behrouz Kamalvandi, was being treated in hospital for injuries to his head, back and ankle after falling about 7 meters (23 feet) down a hatch at the site that had been covered by aluminum sheets scattered in the incident.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.