EU IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON IRGC HEAD AND SENIOR FIGURES
▶ Asset freezes and visa bans brought against eight officials as Brussels mediates talks on Iran nuclear deal
The EU imposed sanctions on the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other top figures over a deadly crackdown on mass protests in 2019, placing further strain on efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal.
The decision was announced as Iran accused Israel of sabotage at its Natanz nuclear site, where a power failure on Sunday damaged centrifuges used for nuclear enrichment, and threatened to retaliate.
The imposition of asset freezes and visa bans on Hossein Salami and seven other officials also took place as Brussels mediates efforts to revive the nuclear deal between world powers and Tehran.
Iran responded by announcing the suspension of “comprehensive talks with the EU, including human rights talks and all co-operation resulting from those talks, especially in the areas of terrorism, narcotics and refugees”.
The Foreign Ministry did not mention the ongoing nuclear talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the power cut at Natanz was an act of nuclear terrorism carried out by Israel in response to negotiations that began in Vienna last week to bring the US back to the 2015 agreement and remove Washington’s sanctions against Iran.
The US denied any involvement in the alleged attack, which happened as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Israel, and said there was no suggestion that the talks would be affected.
“The US was not involved in any manner,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
“We have nothing to add on speculation about the causes or the impacts.
“We have not been given any indication about a change in participation for these discussions.”
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose country is a party to the nuclear deal, said the incident at Natanz put an obstacle in the way of negotiations.
“What we are hearing currently out of Tehran is not a positive contribution, particularly the development in Natanz,” he said.
But according to experts, the incident is unlikely to derail the Vienna negotiations, which resume today.
Henry Rome and Jeffrey Wright of the Eurasia Group risk consultancy said Iran would probably continue with the talks because of its need for sanctions relief.
“Israel’s alleged attack on the Natanz nuclear site will likely harden Iran’s position in nuclear negotiations this week, but it will not lead to a permanent collapse in talks,” they wrote.
Nevertheless, it complicates US government efforts and negotiations.
And with presidential elections in June, Iran’s domestic politics have become more complicated because Israel’s alleged role in the incident will play into hardliners’ hands, they said.
“The incident and the broader political climate reinforce our argument that a deal after the June presidential elections is more likely than before June.”
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric called for restraint.
“We have seen tensions over the last months, and before, being pretty high in the Gulf area and our message has been clear,” he said.
“All concerned parties in the region should refrain from escalating the tensions.”
Iran yesterday accused Israel of sabotaging its Natanz underground nuclear plant in an attempt to derail talks to revive Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Israel wanted revenge after negotiations took place in Vienna to bring the US back to the 2015 agreement and remove sanctions against Iran.
He said Iran would avenge the attack, which damaged centrifuges used to enrich uranium.
Iran’s Information Ministry said a perpetrator was identified and efforts to arrest him were under way, the local Tasnim news agency reported.
Israel has not officially commented on the incident, but Israeli media, quoting intelligence officials, said a cyber attack by Mossad was responsible for the power cut.
“Natanz will be built stronger than in the past, using more advanced machines and if they think our hand in negotiation is weakened, incidentally this act will make our position stronger,” Mr Zarif said during a meeting with Iran’s National Security Commission, state news agency Irna reported.
Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said the incident at Natanz was aimed at disrupting the Vienna talks.
“Iran’s response is revenge against the regime in a due time and place,” he said.
He confirmed there was no human or environmental damage, but said the attack could have led to a catastrophe.
Mr Khatibzadeh said all the centrifuges that went out of circuit were IR-1s, the only type of centrifuge that Iran is permitted to use for enrichment under the terms of the deal.
The affected centrifuges will be replaced with advanced models, he said.
At the weekend, Iran said it started using advanced centrifuges, a breach of the deal.
The enrichment site was affected by a power disruption hours after the advanced centrifuges started work, state TV reported.
Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salihi said the plant was operating yesterday, using an emergency electrical grid. Decommissioned machines would be evaluated for possible use, he said.
Countries involved in the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, began negotiations in Vienna last week.
US President Joe Biden said he was willing to re-commit to the deal after former president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the pact in 2018 and imposed sanctions on Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to block any deal that allowed Iran to build its nuclear arsenal.
The White House said yesterday that it was aware of the reports of the incident at Natanz but the US had nothing to do with it.
Germany, a participant in the Vienna talks, said the incident put an obstacle in the way of negotiations.
“What we are hearing out of Tehran is not a positive contribution,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
He said the negotiations in Vienna “will not be easy but until now, there has been a constructive spirit” shown by participants. Iranian authorities described the incident on Sunday as an act of nuclear terrorism and said Tehran reserved the right to take action against the perpetrators.
“The Zionists want to take revenge because of our progress in the way to lift sanctions ... they have publicly said that they will not allow this.
“But we will take our revenge from the Zionists,” Mr Zarif said.
The Natanz plant has been the target of several attacks. It was first targeted by a major cyber attack about a decade ago.
The Stuxnet virus infected control units for centrifuges at Natanz, causing the sensitive devices to spin out of control.
The US and Israel were believed to have been behind that, although neither has acknowledged responsibility.
Sima Shine, head of the Iran programme at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former Mossad official, said Tehran’s poor economic situation and the coronavirus pandemic may impede efforts to retaliate.
“It’s not that Iran is in its best situation to decide what to do. I think they are sitting and planning what they can do. But do they have all the options on the table? I’m not sure,” she said.