Accused Israel Of Attack On Natanz Nuclear Facility, Iran Ready For Revenge

Iran's nuclear facility in Natanz. (Wikimedia Commons/Hamed Saber)

JAKARTA - Iranian authorities have accused arch-enemy Israel of sabotage at its Natanz nuclear facility. Iran has promised revenge for the attack.

According to Iran's Nournews, Reuters said the man who caused a power outage in one of the production rooms at an underground uranium enrichment plant has been identified.

Iranian authorities described the attack on their Natanz nuclear facility, as an act of 'nuclear terrorism'. They say Tehran has the right to take action against the perpetrators.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif explicitly blamed Israel.

"Zionists want revenge because of our progress in how to lift sanctions. We're not going to fall into their trap. We will not allow this act of sabotage to affect the nuclear talks," Zarif was quoted as saying by state television.

"But we will take revenge against the Zionists," he said

Some Israeli media cited unnamed intelligence sources as saying the Israeli spy service, Mossad, successfully conducted a sabotage operation at the Natanz underground complex, potentially halting enrichment work there for months.

Meanwhile, Iran's Nuclear Energy Chief Ali Akbar Salehi said an emergency power system had been activated in Natanz to compensate for the outage. Uranium enrichment has not stopped at the site.

Israel, whose whereabouts are not recognized by Iran, has not officially commented on the incident. However, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli Military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi implied alluding to the issue.

"The fight against Iran, its proxies, and Iran's weapons efforts is a great mission. The situation that exists today is not necessarily going to be a situation that will exist tomorrow," Netanyahu, accompanied by Defense Minister Benny Gantz and a senior commander, told CNN.

Israeli Military Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi said not all operations carried out by Israel in the Middle East could be hidden from the enemy's eyes.

"They are watching us, looking at our capabilities and carefully considering their steps," Kochavi said.

The incident comes amid diplomatic efforts by Iran and the United States to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal, which involves countries with nuclear powers.

Last week, Iran and global powers held what they described as 'constructive' talks, to salvage a deal that was shattered because Iran violated borders, in reaction to sanctions imposed by the then President of the United States, Donald Trump.