Muscat Daily

EU ‘rejects any attempts’ to undermine Iran nuclear talks

Germany says developmen­ts ‘not positive’ after Iran vows revenge on Israel for attack on plant

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Brussels, Belgium - The European Union on Monday warned against attempts to derail talks to return the US to the Iran nuclear deal, after Tehran accused Israel of an attack on its main Natanz site.

“We reject any attempts to undermine or weaken diplomatic efforts on the nuclear agreement,” EU spokesman Peter Stano said, insisting ‘we still need to clarify the facts’ over events at the Iranian nuclear site.

Germany warned saying that the latest developmen­ts surroundin­g the Natanz uranium plant did not bode well for nuclear talks aimed at reviving a hobbled agreement on curbing Tehran’s atomic ambition.

“What we are hearing currently out of Tehran is not a positive contributi­on, particular­ly the developmen­t in Natanz,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas ahead of talks in Vienna on Tuesday.

A day after Tehran said it started up advanced uranium enrichment centrifuge­s in Natanz in breach of the 2015 nuclear deal, it said the site was hit by a power outage that it labelled ‘terrorism’ and blamed on Israel.

Maas said the negotiatio­ns in Vienna ‘will not be easy but until now, there has been a constructi­ve spirit’ shown by participan­ts.

At the same time, he noted that the situation in Natanz will take on a ‘particular meaning’ and could give clues to what extent what is discussed in Vienna would then be implemente­d by Tehran.

Iran on Monday said its archenemy Israel was ‘of course’ behind an attack on its main nuclear site and vowed ‘revenge... in due time’. The Natanz site near Tehran was hit by a power outage on Sunday that Iran labelled ‘terrorism’. No one was injured and there was no radiation release, Iran said.

The latest of a string of incidents hitting Iran's nuclear programme came days after talks resumed in Vienna to salvage the battered 2015 Iranian nuclear deal that former US president Donald Trump abandoned.

His successor Joe Biden wants to revive the agreement between Iran and a group of world powers, which places limits on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme in return for relief from biting economic sanctions.

Israel strongly opposes the deal and has vowed to disrupt any efforts by the Islamic republic to build an atomic bomb - a goal Tehran has always strongly denied pursuing.

Tehran has blamed Israel’s

Mossad spy service for previous attacks on its nuclear facilities and experts - including the killing last November of its top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizade­h.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzade­h said on Monday it was clear the latest incident too was an Israeli act of sabotage. “Of course the Zionist regime, with this action, tried to take revenge on the people of Iran for their patience and wise attitude regarding the lifting of sanctions,” he said.

Khatibzade­h vowed that Iran’s response would be to take ‘revenge on the Zionist regime’ when and where it chooses. “If the purpose was to interrupt the path of lifting the oppressive sanctions against Iran, they will certainly not reach their goal.”

‘Can’t fall in trap’

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying Tehran would not allow the attack to affect the Vienna talks, to avoid ‘falling in the trap’ set by Israel, state news agency IRNA reported.

Israel has not claimed responsibi­lity for the Natanz incident but unsourced media reports in the country attributed it to the Israeli security services.

Israeli public broadcast journalist Amichai Stein tweeted on Sunday that ‘the assessment is’ that the Natanz incident is the ‘result of an Israeli cyber operation’, without providing evidence.

On Wednesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Jewish state would not be bound to any agreement that would enable Iran to develop ‘weapons that threaten our extinction’.

 ?? (AFP) ?? Iran on Monday said its arch-enemy Israel was ‘of course’ behind an attack on its main nuclear site and vowed ‘revenge... in due time’
(AFP) Iran on Monday said its arch-enemy Israel was ‘of course’ behind an attack on its main nuclear site and vowed ‘revenge... in due time’

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