The American newspaper “New York Times” reported today, Tuesday, citing an intelligence source, that Iran’s nuclear facility, Natanz, was targeted by an explosive device that was smuggled inside the facility.
The newspaper quoted a U.S. intelligence official as saying that the explosion at the Natanz reactor was caused by an explosive device that was smuggled inside the facility and detonated remotely.
The official explained that the explosion severely damaged the main and emergency electrical systems.
The newspaper, citing the same sources, reported that Iran could take 9 months to re-enrich uranium in the facility, while the Natanz facility, which is located in the desert in the central province of Isfahan, is at the center of Iran’s uranium enrichment program and is under the supervision of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran has admitted that minor damage occurred as a result of the explosion at the Natanz nuclear facility, but Iran’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Kazem Gharib Abadi, confirmed that uranium enrichment at the facility did not stop after it was targeted, and that replacement of the centrifuges had begun.
On Monday, an informed source in Iran’s security ministry said the perpetrator of the Natanz incident had been identified and work was underway to stop him.
Iran accuses Israel of targeting the Natanz facility, considering the attack to be aimed at undermining the negotiation process for the return to the Iranian nuclear deal underway in Vienna.
