Iran Says Attack On Nuclear Plant ‘Nuclear Terrorism’; Israel Suspected
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Iran said Sunday that a blackout at the country’s largest uranium enrichment facility was an act of “nuclear terrorism” amid rising tensions with Israel.
Ali Akbar Salehi, who heads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the attack came amid talks between the Islamic Republic and world powers on reviving a 2015 nuclear accord.
He claimed that the disruption at the Natanz facility that’s home to thousands of gas centrifuges was to thwart Iran’s atomic progress and the ongoing diplomacy in Vienna, state TV reported.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Iran has accused Israel of previous incidents related to enriching uranium. Israeli media said Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, was reportedly behind the Natanz nuclear plant’s cyberattack.
The attack caused extensive damage to Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the security cabinet’s first meeting in two months to discuss the increased tensions with Tehran.
If Israel were responsible, it would further heighten tensions between the two nations already engaged in a shadow conflict across the broader Middle East.
Netanyahu, who met Sunday with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, vowed to do everything in his power to stop the nuclear deal.
Israel doesn’t want the U.S. to lift sanctions on Tehran amid fears its real intentions are to develop nuclear weapons. Iran claims its program serves “peaceful purposes.”
Israel says the International community should first address Iran’s nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and regional proxy forces that have fought Israel before sanctions are lifted.
The two countries have in recent weeks accused each other of targeting their shipping.
Despite these concerns, European nations are leading efforts to negotiate a U.S. return to the 2015 deal that curbed Iran’s atomic activities in return for sanctions relief.
President Donald Trump abandoned the deal three years ago, saying Iran should “abandon its nuclear ambitions and end its support for terrorism.”
Current United States President Joe Biden is more open to a deal. China, Russia, the European Union, Iran, and the U.S. will reconvene for the next round of talks in the Austrian capital on April 14.
Ahead of that meeting, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun reported it arrived in Tehran for a two-day visit to advance the negotiations.
He was to discuss if it can end a dispute over $7 billion of Iranian oil revenue trapped in Seoul by U.S. sanctions.
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