An Iranian official vowed to respond to any country carrying out cyberattacks on nuclear sites in his country, after a fire broke out at the Natanz nuclear facility, which Tehran said was caused by a possible external cyberattack.
The civil defense chief, Ghulam Reza Jalali, told state television yesterday that "the response to cyber attacks is part of the country's defense force, if it is proven that our country was targeted by an electronic attack, we will respond."
The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization announced on Thursday that an accident occurred in a warehouse in a complex in Isfahan province, without causing any injuries or radioactive contamination.
The Natanz underground fuel enrichment plant is one of several Iranian facilities monitored by UN nuclear watchdog inspectors.
The highest Iranian security authority said today that the cause of the "accident" at the nuclear site has been identified, but that "security considerations" will be announced at an appropriate time.
A picture of a one-storey building was later published, and parts of its roof and walls were burned. The fall of one of the doors in the photo indicates an explosion inside the building.
An article published on Thursday by the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency dealt with what he described as possible sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United States of America, although it did not amount to directly accusing either of them.
"Until now, Iran has been trying to deal with the worsening crises and the unpredictable circumstances and conditions ... but crossing the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran from hostile countries, especially the Zionist entity and the United States, means that the strategy must be reviewed," the agency said.
It is not known yet
The International Atomic Energy Agency said today in a statement that the site of the fire did not include nuclear materials, and that none of its inspectors was present at the time.
"The agency is in contact with the relevant Iranian authorities to ensure that there will be no impact on verification activities to ensure safety standards that the organization is expected to continue," she added. She stated that Iran had informed her that the cause of the fire was not yet known.
An explosion took place east of Tehran last Friday near a sensitive military complex, and the authorities said that it was caused by a leak from a tank at a gas storage facility in a public area.
Western security services believe that Tehran conducted tests related to nuclear explosions more than a decade ago at the Parchin military base, which Tehran denies.