Iran accuses Israel of sabotage of nuclear center, promises 'revenge'
The Iranian uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, located 250 kilometers south of Tehran, March 30, 2005. © REUTERS / Raheb Homavandi
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3 min
Iranian authorities admitted Monday April 12 that the sabotage of the Natanz nuclear power plant damaged part of the site's uranium enrichment facilities, accusing Israel of being behind the act.
In the midst of diplomatic efforts to get the 2015 international agreement supposed to frame Iran's nuclear program back on track, Tehran promised "
revenge
."
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Iranian diplomacy spokesman Saïd Khatibzadeh said that
centrifuges damaged in Natanz
"
will undoubtedly be replaced by more advanced machines
", more modern and more powerful,
reports
our correspondent in Tehran,
Siavosh Ghazi
.
The Iranian foreign ministry accused Israel of being behind the action, adding that "
Iran's response will be revenge against the Zionist regime at the right time and place
."
According to the authorities, the blackout damaged some of the older generation IR-1 centrifuges installed at the site.
While there were some 5,000 IR-1 centrifuges at Natanz, authorities did not say how many of them were damaged.
In any case, it will slow down
the country's
enrichment program
for a few weeks or months
.
Already in July 2020, an explosion had partially destroyed one of the buildings of the site in which were assembled more modern centrifuges, type IR-6 which are ten times more powerful than the devices of the first generation.
In negotiations on nuclear power, Tehran does not want to "
fall into the trap
"
This new sabotage on Sunday April 11 comes in the
midst of negotiations between Iran and the great powers
for the lifting of American sanctions and the return of the United States to the nuclear agreement.
In return, Iran has promised to limit its program again.
But this sabotage could harden
Tehran's position in these negotiations
.
According to the official Irna news agency, deputies indicated that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had "
insisted (...) on the need not to fall into
the trap set
by the Zionists
".
"
But we will not allow
(Israel to derail the talks in Vienna)
and we will take revenge on the Zionists for these actions,
" he reportedly told the same source at a closed meeting in parliament devoted to the attack. against Natanz.
►
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