The New York Times said that the bombing that targeted the Iranian nuclear facility Natanz last week was planned for more than a year, indicating that it might be detonated by planting an explosive device, or via an electronic attack.
The newspaper also quoted two American intelligence officials as saying that the renovation of the facility to restore the Iranian nuclear program to what it was before the explosion could take two years.
She said that Western officials expect some kind of retaliation from Iran for the bombing, which may be by targeting American forces in Iraq, or through electronic attacks, or by targeting vital facilities such as the American financial institution or the Israeli water supply system.
The officials said that the United States and Israel are developing a joint strategy toward Iran aimed at liquidating senior leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and sabotaging nuclear facilities.
For its part, the American Stratfor site said that Israel is likely responsible for the explosion and fire that broke out in the Natanz facility on the second of this month, and possibly for other similar incidents that occurred near Tehran over the past two weeks, including the bombing of the Khujer missile complex on June 26. the past.
The site believes that the noticeable rise in Israeli sabotage operations towards Iran indicates that Tel Aviv is returning to a policy of unilateral action against Iran's nuclear and missile programs.
And the website affirms that although Tel Aviv does not explicitly declare its covert operations against Iran, history and motivation make it the most likely actor to carry out such "sabotage" operations against Iranian infrastructure and installations.
Striking a sense of security
On the other hand, Abbas Aslani, a researcher at the Middle East Center for Strategic Studies, ruled out the authenticity of the American account regarding the bombing of the Natanz facility.
Aslani told Al Jazeera that the talk about a US-Israeli strategy on Iran aims to strike the sense of security that prevails in Iranian society, despite the economic sanctions imposed on the country.
"There is probably an exaggeration from the American side in order to undermine the security situation in Iran because, in the wake of the economic pressures on Iran, people felt that they would at least enjoy security in the country now," he added.
"It seems that the Americans and Israelis want to remove that sense of security from Iranian society, and to motivate the people to put pressure on the Iranian authorities, and it seems that in their narration they tend to exaggerate this and in relation to Iran."
In the same context, US Special Envoy to Iran, Brian Hook, said that his country will not allow Tehran to continue what he called its policy of intimidation, and will respond more forcefully to its strikes, adding that the Iranian regime is weaker today than it was three years ago.