Iran's nuclear ambitions have become a constant issue of contention. — AFP picTEHRAN, April 11 — Iran’s atomic energy organisation said today the Natanz nuclear facility was hit by a terrorist act, hours after it said an “accident” had caused a power failure there.
The attack was carried out by “opponents of the country’s industrial and political progress, who aim to prevent development of a thriving nuclear industry,” he said, without specifying what country or entity might be behind the alleged sabotage. “The causes of the accident are under investigation and more details will be released later,” he added, before the later statement put out by the agency’s chief.
“This incident, coming National Nuclear Technology Day, as Iran endeavours to press the West into lifting sanctions, is strongly suspected to be sabotage or infiltration,” Chariati said. Iranian authorities likewise blamed the July incident on “sabotage” by “terrorists”, but have not released the results of their investigation into it.
Iran’s latest move to step up uranium enrichment follows an opening round of talks in Vienna Tuesday with representatives of the remaining parties to the nuclear deal on bringing the US back into it.