Iran admits nuclear plant hit by blast

Iran admitted on Monday that an explosion had disabled uranium enrichment centrifuges at its flagship Natanz nuclear plant.

Officials in Tehran initially claimed that a power cut on Sunday had disrupted activities at Natanz, the center of Iran’s nuclear program, but it later emerged that Israel’s Mossad spy agency had carried out a cyberattack on the plant.

The attack came amid diplomatic efforts by Iran and the US to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, after former US President Donald Trump abandoned it three years ago and reimposed sanctions.

The Israelis “want to take revenge because of our progress in the way to lift sanctions,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday.

“We will not fall into their trap. We will not allow this act of sabotage to affect the nuclear talks, but we will take our revenge.”

Israel and US allies in the Gulf strongly oppose restoration of the deal in its current form, without also addressing Iran’s ballistic missile program and its regional meddling through proxy militias in Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after talks on Monday with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin: “I will never allow Iran to obtain the nuclear capability to carry out its genocidal goal of eliminating Israel, and Israel will continue to defend itself against Iran’s aggression and terrorism.”

Sunday’s attack on Natanz came a day after Iran started up advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges, which are banned under the nuclear deal.

“Our nuclear experts are assessing the damage but I can assure you that Iran will replace damaged centrifuges in Natanz with advanced ones,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.