DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran on Sunday described an eclipse at its underground Atanz nuclear plant as an act of ‘nuclear terrorism’, which increases local tensions, while world powers and Tehran continue to negotiate its shattered nuclear deal.
Although there was no immediate claim to responsibility, Israel immediately became suspicious, with the media reporting almost uniformly that a devastating cyberattack orchestrated by the country had caused the eclipse.
If Israel were responsible, it would increase tensions between the two nations already involved in a shadow conflict in the broader Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Sunday, has vowed to do everything in his power to halt the nuclear deal.
Details remained little about what happened early Sunday morning at the plant, which was initially described as an eclipse caused by the electrical network that fed its above-ground workshops and underground enrichment halls.
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Ali Akbar Salehi, the US-trained head of Iran’s nuclear energy organization, who once served as the country’s foreign minister, made the toughest comment of his long career, leading to the assassination of nuclear scientists a decade ago include. Iran also blames Israel for the killings.
He promised to “seriously improve” his country’s nuclear technology while campaigning for the lifting of international sanctions.
Salehi’s remarks to state television do not explain what happened at the facility, but his words point to a serious disruption.
“While the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns this desperate move, it emphasizes the need for a confrontation by the international bodies and the (International Atomic Energy Agency) against this nuclear terrorism,” Salehi said.
The IAEA, the United Nations body monitoring Tehran’s nuclear program, said earlier it was aware of media reports about the incident in Natanz and had spoken to Iranian officials about it. The agency did not expand.
In the past, however, Natanz has been targeted by sabotage. The Stuxnet computer virus, discovered in 2010 and widely regarded as a joint creation between the US and Israel, once disrupted and destroyed Iranian centrifuges in Natanz amid an earlier period of Western fears over the program of Tehran.
Natanz suffered a mysterious explosion in July in its advanced centrifuge plant that authorities later described as sabotage. Iran is now rebuilding the facility deep within a nearby mountain. Iran also blamed Israel for the assassination of a scientist in November who began the country’s military nuclear program decades earlier.
Several Israeli media reported on Sunday that an Israeli cyber attack caused the eclipse in Natanz. Public broadcaster Kan said the Mossad was behind the attack. Channel 12 TV cites “experts” as estimating the attack to close entire parts of the facility.
Although the reports did not provide any information for their information, Israeli media maintain a close relationship with the country’s military and intelligence agencies.
“It’s hard for me to believe it’s coincidental,” said Yoel Guzansky, a senior fellow at Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies, about Sunday’s eclipse. “If it’s not a coincidence, and it’s a big problem, try to send someone a message that ‘we can curb Iran’s march and that we have red lines. ‘
It also sends a message that Iran’s most sensitive nuclear issue is ‘permeable’, “he added.
Netanyahu later on Sunday night had his security chiefs, with Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, by his side on the eve of his country’s independence day.
“It is very difficult to explain what we have achieved,” Netanyahu said of Israel’s history, saying the country had been transformed from a weak position into a ‘world power’.
Israel does not usually discuss operations carried out by its Mossad intelligence agency or specialized military units. In recent weeks, Netanyahu has repeatedly described Iran as the biggest threat to his country as he struggles to stay in power after several elections and while facing corruption charges.
Netanyahu spoke at the event Sunday night, urging his security chiefs to “go in this direction and keep holding the sword of David in your hands,” with an expression referring to Jewish power.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Austin on Sunday, saying Israel considers America an ally against all threats, including Iran.
“Today’s Tehran poses a strategic threat to international security, to the entire Middle East and to the state of Israel,” Gantz said. “And we will work closely with our American allies to ensure that any new agreement with Iran safeguards the vital interests of the world, the United States, prevents a dangerous arms race in our region and protects the state of Israel.”
The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Lt.Gen. Aviv Kochavi, apparently also referred to Iran.
The Israeli army’s “operations in the Middle East are not hidden from the eyes of the enemy,” Kochavi said. “They are watching us, seeing (our) abilities and weighing their steps carefully.”
On Saturday, Iran announced that it had launched a chain of 164 IR-6 centrifuges at the plant. Officials have also begun testing the IR-9 centrifuge, which they say will enrich uranium 50 times faster than Iran’s first-generation centrifuges, the IR-1. The nuclear deal limited Iran to only IR-1s for enrichment.
Since then-President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Tehran has abandoned all the boundaries of its uranium supply. It now enriches to 20% purity, a technical step away from the 90% level of weaponry. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
The nuclear deal provided Tehran with sanctions relief in return for ensuring that its supplies never swelled so much that Iran would be able to acquire an atomic bomb if it so chose.
On Tuesday, an Iranian cargo ship said it was serving as a floating base for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards off the coast of Yemen, was hit by an explosion, presumably from a limp mine. Iran blamed Israel for the blast. This attack increased a long shadow war in Mideast waterways targeting shipping in the region.
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Associated Press authors Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, and Joseph Federman and Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem contributed to this report.