Iran calls Natanz atomic site blackout ‘nuclear terrorism’

Tehran/Dubai, April 11

The head of Iran’s civilian nuclear programme has called a blackout that struck the country’s Natanz nuclear facility “nuclear terrorism”. Ali Akbar Salehi made the comments in a report published online by Iranian state television on Sunday night. He did not name a suspect in the sabotage.

His comments escalate current Mideast tensions.

Many Israeli media outlets offered the same assessment that a cyberattack darkened Natanz and damaged a facility that is home to sensitive centrifuges.

While the reports offered no sourcing for the evaluation, Israeli media maintains a close relationship with the country’s military and intelligence agencies.

Natanz nuclear site suffered a problem on Sunday involving its electrical distribution grid just hours after starting up new advanced centrifuges that more quickly enrich uranium, state TV reported earlier.

It was the latest incident to strike one of Tehran’s most-secured sites amid negotiations over the tattered atomic accord with world powers. AP