‘Suspicious’ blackout strikes Iran’s Natanz nuclear underground site
Iran's underground Natanz nuclear facility lost power yesterday, just hours after starting up new advanced centrifuges capable of enriching uranium faster.
It is the latest incident to strike the site amid negotiations over the troubled atomic accord with world powers.
As Iranian officials investigated the outage, many Israeli media outlets suggested it was a cyber attack.
If Israel caused the blackout, it heightens the tensions between the two nations which are already engaged in a shadow conflict across the Middle East.
It also complicates efforts by the US, Israel's main security partner, to re-enter the atomic accord aimed at limiting Tehran's programme so it cannot develop a nuclear weapon.
As news of the blackout emerged, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin landed in Israel for talks with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Benny Gantz.
Power at Natanz was cut across the whole base, which comprises above-ground workshops and underground enrichment halls, civilian nuclear programme spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said.
"We still do not know the reason for this electricity outage and have to look into it further," he said. "Fortunately there was no casualty or damage and there is no particular contamination or problem."
Asked if it was a "technical defect or sabotage", Mr Kamalvandi declined to comment.
Malek Shariati Niasar, a Tehran politician who serves as spokesman for the Iranian parliament's energy committee, wrote on Twitter that the incident was "very suspicious", raising concerns about possible "sabotage and infiltration".
He said politicians are also seeking details of the incident.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors Iran's programme, said it was "aware of the media reports", but declined to comment.
Natanz was largely built underground to withstand enemy air strikes. It became
a flashpoint for Western fears about Iran's nuclear programme in 2002, when satellite photos showed Iran building its underground centrifuges facility at the site, some 125 miles south of Tehran.
Natanz suffered a mysterious explosion at its advanced centrifuge assembly plant in July which authorities later described as sabotage. Iran is now rebuilding that facility deep inside a nearby mountain.
Israel has been suspected of carrying out that attack as well as launching other assaults, as world powers now negotiate with Tehran in Vienna over its nuclear deal.
Iran also blamed Israel for the killing of a scientist who began the country's military nuclear programme decades earlier. The Stuxnet computer virus, discovered in 2010 and widely believed to be a joint Us-israeli creation, once disrupted and destroyed Iranian centrifuges at Natanz.
Israel has not claimed any of the attacks, though Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly described Iran as a major threat to his country.
Mr Gantz said Israel views America as an ally against all threats, including Iran, adding: "The Tehran of today poses a strategic threat to international security, to the Middle East and to the state of Israel.”