Iranian officials on Sunday confirmed an “incident” in Natanz, an underground facility where uranium enrichment is taking place. “Fortunately, the incident did not cause any human injuries or leaks,” said Behrouz Kamalvand, a spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI). “The causes of the crash are being investigated and further information will be released later.”
AEOI condemned the incident, calling it a “terrorist act”, according to the Iranian Telegram channel of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, a branch of the Iranian army.
Just hours after Iranian officials reported the incident, Israeli Army Chief Aviv Kochavi said the country’s “operations throughout the Middle East are not hidden from the eyes of the enemy.”
“They are watching us, seeing the capabilities and considering their steps carefully,” he said, speaking on Sunday during a memorial service in Jerusalem to commemorate fallen soldiers.
Reports in several Israeli media on Sunday quoted secret officials as saying that the national intelligence agency, Mossad, was responsible for the incident. Although few details are offered of the unnamed officials, some stores have described them as ‘Western sources of information’, although it is not immediately clear whether ‘Western’ contains the possibility that Israel is from Israel.
The Prime Minister of Israel’s office did not comment on the reports, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Iran during a toast on Sunday to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel.
“The fight against Iran and its proxies and the Iranian armaments is a big mission,” he said, along with Kochavi, Israel’s army chief, and his commanders, as well as Defense Minister Benny Gantz. “The situation that exists today will not necessarily be the situation that will exist tomorrow.”
Netanyahu will meet on Monday with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who is visiting the country. It is the visit to Israel at the highest level by a member of the Biden administration and comes days after talks in Vienna to begin negotiations on a possible new nuclear deal between Iran and a US group of world powers.
US officials were also in Vienna and met with representatives of world powers who are still part of the agreement. They did not meet directly with Iranian officials.
Former US President Donald Trump started imposing new sanctions on Iran when he withdrew the United States from the agreement. Iranian officials have insisted that the US lift all Trump-era sanctions and return to the nuclear deal before complying with the agreement again.
Israel’s leader reiterates his strong opposition this week to the prospect of a restored agreement with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying that Israel “will not be bound by any agreement that paves the way for Iran to develop nuclear weapons. . “
Iran condemns ‘terrorist acts’
Leaders in Iran condemned the incident.
Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s nuclear energy organization, said: “Iran reserves the right to respond to the culprits and those who have committed the terrorist act,” IRGC reported.
‘Today’s attack shows that the enemies of Iran’s advances and advances in nuclear science, as well as nuclear negotiations, are desperate to commit terrorist actions against nuclear technology in Natanz. [nuclear facility]. “
In Iranian news agency reports, other Iranian officials suggested that the plant may have come under attack, speculating that the plant may have been targeted while the country discussed a revival of the nuclear deal with Iran with its Western signatories.
Malek Shariati Niaser, a member of the Iranian parliament, said: “The blackout in Natanz on the anniversary of the National Day is suspicious and could be due to sabotage while Iran is trying to persuade Western countries to lift the sanctions, ‘reported the semi- the official news website Entekhab.ir.
A spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency said in an email to CNN on Sunday that the agency was aware of the media reports.
“We have no comment at this stage,” he said.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced during the 15th anniversary of Iran’s National Nuclear Technology Day on Saturday that it had announced new uranium enrichment centrifuges at the plant, saying that Iran’s nuclear activities were for ‘peaceful and civilian purposes’, but that the country’s nuclear capability was also stronger than at the time before.
“Today, a chain of 164 IR-6 centrifuges was launched,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by state-run Press TV on Saturday. “It can supply us 10 times more products than the previous chain.”
The Natanz nuclear power plant lost a building when a fire broke out in July last year. The Iranian government said at the time that it was an attack on its nuclear program. It was also the target of the Stuxnet cyber attack in 2010, which was carried out by Israel and the US, according to security experts.
CNN’s Andrew Carey and Amir Tal reported from Jerusalem, Ramin Mostaghim reported from Tehran, Sarah Dean from London.