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Part 1 of 2 Parts
It has been reported that on Thursday, an explosion and fire at Iran’s main nuclear enrichment plant has caused significant damage. The “industrial shed” that was reportedly destroyed by the explosion turned out to be a facility for the assembly of centrifuges which would be used in Iran’s prohibited enrichment of uranium. The Iranian government admitted that this set the country’s nuclear program back by months. Initially, the government had said that there was only minor destruction at the plant.
A Middle East intelligence official with knowledge of the fire claimed that Israel was responsible for the attack on the Natanz nuclear complex on Thursday. A powerful bomb caused the fire and the destruction. A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who had been briefed on the event confirmed that explosives were used. Both of these officials were only willing to speak on the condition of anonymity when discussing sensitive intelligence and operatioinal topics.
Iran has focused its suspicion on Israel and the U.S. Both of these countries have sabotaged Iran’s nuclear program in the past. They have vowed that they will keep Iran from ever developing nuclear weapons. Israel and the U.S. have used cyberattacks to damage Iran’s nuclear program but cyberattacks were not involved in the fire at the Natanz nuclear complex.
There was no way to verify the claimed involvement of Israel independently. Israel’s intelligence network has demonstrated its ability to strike in the heart of Iran. The Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, broke into a warehouse in Tehran in 2018 and stole over half a ton of secret records that document Iran’s nuclear project. The documents were smuggled out of Iran. Many of the Iranian documents were turned over by the Mossad to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Included in the documents were new clues about where Iran may be hiding forbidden equipment and nuclear raw materials.
If the damage at Natanz was an attack by a foreign power, it demonstrates Iran’s vulnerability as its economy continues to be strangled by sanctions imposed by the hostile Trump administration in the U.S. In addition, Iran is being ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tehran is being increasingly isolated internationally. Even countries opposed to the stringent sanctions imposed by the U.S. have recently join the accusers who say that Iran is hiding nuclear weapons development from international inspectors.
On Sunday, Israeli officials were vague in their response when asked about possible involvement in an attack on Natanz although they did talk about the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran. Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Sunday in a radio interview that “Everyone can suspect us in everything and all the time, but I don’t think that’s correct. Not every event that happens in Iran is necessarily related to us.” Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, at a conference on Sunday that “Iran cannot be allowed to have nuclear capabilities. So, we take actions that are better left unsaid.”
Please read Part 2 next