Iran Blames Mossad For Cyber Attack To Sabotage Natanz Nuclear Plant, Warns Of Revenge

Iran blamed Israel on Monday for a sabotage attack on its underground Natanz nuclear plant, which destroyed the centrifuges it uses to enrich uranium there, and threatened retaliation.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, made the first official allegation of Israel for the incident on Sunday that knocked out power across the plant.

The attack has not been expressly attributed to Israel. However, suspicion fell on it almost instantly, as local media almost universally speculated that the blackout was triggered by a devastating cyberattack organised by the country.

If Israel is to blame, it will exacerbate tensions between the two countries, which are already embroiled in a shadow conflict across the Middle East. Following a meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to do everything in his power to stop the reviving of the nuclear agreement.

What happened early Sunday morning at the facility is still a mystery. The blackout was initially attributed to the electrical grid that supplied the above-ground workshops and underground enrichment halls.

According to Khatibzadeh, the solution for Natanz is vengeance on Israel. Israel will obtain its response on its own terms. He didn’t go into detail.

The first-generation workhorse of Iran’s uranium enrichment, the IR-1 centrifuges, were destroyed in the attack, according to Khatibzadeh. He did not, however, elaborate. Images from the facility are yet to be broadcast on state television.