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The Government of Iran denounced this Sunday a power cut in Natanz, its largest uranium enrichment plant, something it called “nuclear terrorism”, to allegedly hinder the negotiations that are currently being carried out in Vienna with various powers with the aim of trying to save the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iranian authorities have not provided full details about what happened at their Natanz plant. However, the director of the country’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said it was caused by an act of “nuclear terrorism” and that his country reserves the right to take action against the perpetrators.
“While condemning this despicable move, Iran emphasizes the need for the international community and the International Atomic Energy Agency to address this nuclear terrorism and reserves the right to take action against the perpetrators,” Salehi said.
It would have been a power outage, which was initially described as a blackout caused by the power grid that powered its above-ground workshops and underground enrichment rooms, according to Iranian nuclear agency spokesman Behruz Kamalvandí, who added that the fact “caused no injuries or contamination” and that the causes are “under investigation.”
Later, local media reported that Kamalvandí had an accident while visiting the site, “suffering a broken head and leg.”
The Natanz plant is the largest uranium enrichment facility in the Islamic Republic. It is built eight meters underground in order to avoid attacks. It is located in the desert in the central province of Isfahan and is monitored by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
Israel would have perpetrated a cyber attack against the affected plant
According to Israeli public media, the damage in Natanz was more extensive than Iran has reported.
Israeli public radio Kan, citing intelligence sources, noted that Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, carried out a cyberattack on the affected site.
For its part, the local channel Channel 12 TV cited “experts” who estimated that the attack closed entire sections of the Iranian facility.
The Israeli government, which has accused Tehran of seeking to manufacture nuclear weapons that can be used against it, has not yet made any official comment on the incident.
The events came a day after the Islamic Republic, which claims its nuclear program is peaceful, started new advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges at Natanz.
If an alleged responsibility of Israel is verified, the tension between the two countries that for years has preoccupied the Middle East would be stoked.
Iran: Incident Hits Efforts to Save 2015 Nuclear Deal
For the Hassan Rouhani government, the events that occurred at its Natanz plant are an attempt to sabotage indirect negotiations with the United States, which are taking place in Vienna. Indirect dialogues, with the interlocution of other powers, seek for Washington to return to the agreement and lift the sanctions imposed against Tehran, while the Islamic Republic must resume its commitments and stop enriching uranium.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday, has vowed to do everything in his power to stop the nuclear deal. From the beginning, his government has accused Tehran of lying and not complying with the agreement.
The pact, signed in 2015 between the United States, Iran and other powers such as Germany and France, allows Iran to use first-generation IR-1 centrifuges and enrich uranium to a maximum purity of 3.67%, but after former President Donald Trump, an ally of the Israeli government, removed his country from the agreement, Iran responded with breaches as a form of retaliation.
Iran has enriched uranium to 20%, well above what is allowed. It takes 90% to produce an atomic weapon. As the parties that signed the pact try to resume their initial commitments, Iran defies Israel.
Following Sunday’s alleged attack on his facility, Salehi said that efforts to curb “the significant development of the nuclear industry and successful negotiations to lift oppressive sanctions” will not be successful.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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source https://pledgetimes.com/iran-denounces-nuclear-terrorism-after-incident-at-uranium-enrichment-plant/
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