Iran conducts anti-aircraft missile system test in Natanz area

Iran: January 2020 satellite image of the partially underground Natanz enrichment site.

- Satellite image © 2021 Maxar Technologies / AFP / File

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

An air defense test in the Natanz region in central Iran caused an explosion heard about twenty kilometers from the Chahid Ahmadi-Rochan nuclear complex.

Advertising

Read more

At first, rumors of a new sabotage on Natanz's site circulated on social networks.

But very quickly the authorities denied this version, reports our correspondent in Tehran,

.

The army spokesman claimed the explosion was due to a test of the anti-aircraft missile system in the area.

This test comes after the

between Iran and the great powers in Vienna.

Negotiations halted for the weekend and will resume in the middle of next week.

► 

: Iranian nuclear power: can the 2015 agreement still be saved?

Israel accused of sabotage

In recent weeks, Israel has assured that it will act by all means to stop Tehran's nuclear activities.

, assured the Israeli Foreign Minister Yaïr Lapid in October. And most recently,

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called on the United States to “end immediately” negotiations over Iran's nuclear program in a telephone interview with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Iran is making 'nuclear blackmail' a negotiating tactic and the answer to this must be the immediate end of negotiations and concrete measures by the great powers" against Tehran, Bennett argued during the exchange.

In July 2020, an act of sabotage caused extensive damage to one of the buildings at the Natanz site, where new centrifuges were assembled. At the time, Iran accused Israel of being behind this action.

According to Tehran, Israel also carried out

against a damaged centrifuge production plant near Tehran.

►

: Tehran denounces an act of "anti-nuclear terrorism" against its Natanz complex

Iran has sharply increased its uranium enrichment activities at the Natanz site but also at Fordoo, located under the mountain about a hundred kilometers from Tehran.

This makes any military action against this site very difficult.

These activities have been strongly criticized by Western countries and Israel, which accuse Iran of wanting to manufacture an atomic weapon or having the capacity to do so.

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Iran

• Nuclear

• Israel