Iran says power cut at nuclear centrifuges plant was sabotage
Iran’s nuclear chief yesterday condemned what he described as sabotage against the Natanz nuclear site, state news agency Irna said.
The enrichment plant suffered power problems hours after new advanced centrifuges started up, state television reported.
The incident involved the electrical distribution grid at the site. It is the latest in a series of problems to befall Iran’s most secure nuclear development site.
“The action taken against the Natanz enrichment centre reflects the failure of those who oppose the country’s industrial and political progress to prevent development,” Irna quoted Ali Akbar Salehi as saying.
“Iran, while condemning this despicable action, stresses the need for the international community and the International Atomic Energy Agency to deal with this nuclear terrorism.”
He said Iran reserved the right to “take action against the perpetrators, commanders and managers” of the sabotage.
“Fortunately, the incident has not caused any human damage or contamination,” a state TV presenter quoted Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for Iran’s civilian nuclear programme, as saying.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation.”
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, the civilian arm of its nuclear programme, published a statement using the same wording as the TV report, without elaborating.
On Saturday, Iran announced the installation of a chain of 164 IR-6 centrifuges at the site.
It also announced testing would be carried out on IR-9 centrifuges, which were said to be capable of enriching uranium at a rate 50 times faster than first-generation IR-1 centrifuges.
Under the 2015 deal with six world powers, Iran was limited to using IR-1s for enrichment.
The Natanz plant, which was hit in 2010 by the Stuxnet computer virus intended to derail nuclear enrichment, was largely built underground to withstand air strikes.
In July, Natanz, 200 kilometres south of Tehran, suffered an explosion at its centrifuge assembly plant that authorities described as sabotage.
Israel was suspected of carrying out an attack there, as well as other assaults.
World powers are negotiating with Tehran in Vienna over the 2015 deal.
The US and Iran laid out tough policies at indirect talks in Vienna last week aimed at bringing both back into full compliance with the accord. Iran also blamed Israel for last year’s killing of a scientist who began the country’s military nuclear programme decades ago. Israel has not claimed responsibility for any attacks.
Natanz hosts Iran’s main uranium enrichment centre. In its underground halls, centrifuges rapidly spin uranium hexafluoride gas to enrich uranium.
Since former US president Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the deal in 2018, Tehran abandoned all limits on its uranium stockpile.
It now enriches up to 20 per cent purity, a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.