A fire at a nuclear facility in the Iranian city of Natanz was caused by sabotage, Behruz Kamalwandi, an official with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on August 23.
“The explosion at Natanz was the result of sabotage operations. The security service will announce the cause of the explosion and provide supporting materials in due course, ”he said in an interview with Al-Alam TV channel.
A fire at one of the facilities under construction at the Natanz centrifuge assembly plant was reported on 2 July. The object was under construction for several years and started working two years ago. It was intended for the final assembly and tuning of new types of centrifuges for uranium enrichment.
According to Kamalvandi, there were no casualties, no leakage of nuclear or other radioactive materials occurred, but the enterprise “suffered significant material damage.”
On July 6, The New York Times, citing intelligence sources in an unnamed Middle Eastern state, wrote that an explosive device had detonated in Natanz, and Israel was responsible for the attack.
In turn, the Israeli authorities did not confirm this information, but did not deny it either.
In 2018, the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, reinstating a number of sanctions against Tehran. A year later, President of the Islamic Republic Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran was also suspending part of its obligations under the agreement, which provided for the lifting of sanctions in exchange for abandoning its nuclear program.