Iran Accuses Israel of Behind Nuclear Facility Attack: "We Will Execute Revenge"

Israel "Will Not Tolerate Iran's Nuclear Possession"
US Secretary of Defense Rushes to Israel...Concerns Over Nuclear Deal Difficulties

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Iranian government has pointed to Israel as the culprit behind the power outage at its nuclear facility and vowed revenge, raising concerns that the restoration talks of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), led by the United States and Western countries, will face difficulties. Israel is reportedly reiterating a hardline stance, stating it will never tolerate Iran's possession of nuclear weapons.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press on the 12th (local time), Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, attended the Iranian Parliament's Security Committee and condemned the power outage at the Natanz nuclear facility as an Israeli attempt to block the restoration of the nuclear deal. Foreign Minister Zarif said, "The Zionist regime wants to prevent Iran's efforts to lift sanctions," adding, "We will carry out revenge for such actions."

Earlier, on the previous day, the New York Times (NYT) reported that U.S. intelligence officials believed Israel played a role in the power outage at the Natanz nuclear facility. The officials anonymously told the NYT that the power outage at Iran's nuclear facility was a secret Israeli operation, significantly damaging Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told local media in an interview that "there was a small explosion at the nuclear facility on the day of the incident."

Previously, on the 6th when the Iran nuclear deal negotiations began, Iran also pointed to Israel as the culprit behind the attack on its trade ship in the Red Sea. If Israel is revealed as the mastermind behind this attack, it is highly likely that the restoration talks of the Iran nuclear deal will face even greater difficulties.

The Biden administration, which hopes for an early conclusion to the nuclear deal restoration talks, immediately dispatched the U.S. Secretary of Defense to Israel upon hearing the news to hold talks with the Israeli government. After visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the previous day, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a press conference following their meeting, avoiding mention of Iran and stating, "The relationship between the U.S. and Israel is key to stability in the Middle East," and added, "Efforts to restore the nuclear deal will continue."

In contrast, Prime Minister Netanyahu continued his hardline remarks against Iran. He said, "Iran's fanatical regime is the most dangerous entity in the Middle East," and stated, "The U.S. and Israel will never tolerate Iran possessing nuclear capabilities." He further emphasized, "As Prime Minister of Israel, my policy is to prevent Iran from achieving its genocidal goal of eliminating Israel through acquiring nuclear capabilities."