Iranian officials called the blackout at its underground nuclear facility in Natanz a “terrorist action,” prompting potential escalations in tensions as the country negotiates restoring its nuclear deal with the United States.
Officials confirmed an “incident” at Natanz on Sunday, just a day after Tehran said it would start up more than 150 new uranium enrichment centrifuges at the facility.
“Today’s attack demonstrates that the enemies of Iran’s progress and advancement in nuclear science, as well as nuclear negotiations, are in desperation committing terrorist actions against the nuclear technology at Natanz [nuclear facility]. Iran reserves the right to respond against the perpetrators, and those who committed the terrorist action,” said Akbar Salehi of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces, a branch of the Iranian military, according to a report by CNN.
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The incident was initially described to be a blackout caused by the electrical grid feeding above-ground workshops and underground enrichment halls. The Atomic Energy Organization said the causes of the incident are under investigation.
Malek Shariati Niasar, a member of Iran’s Parliament, said he found the timing peculiar, in that the reported blackout took place on the anniversary of its National Nuclear Day.
“The blackout in Natanz on the anniversary of National Nuclear Day is suspicious and may be due to sabotage while Iran is trying to convince the Western countries to lift the sanctions,” Shariati Niasar said, according to a translation from the news site Entekhab.ir.
Upon news of the incident, some suspicion fell on Israel, which recently announced its intentions to work with the U.S. on Iran regarding a nuclear deal.
In February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised concerns over resurrecting the 2015 nuclear deal, which the Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of in 2018.
The prime minister believed a new deal would pave the way for long-term nuclear ambitions for Iran, though Tehran reiterated this week that its intentions are peaceful.
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In his announcement about the new centrifuges, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the country’s atomic activities are for “peaceful and civil purposes” but highlighted the strength of its atomic achievements.
“Today, a chain of 164 IR-6 centrifuges was launched,” Rouhani said in his announcement, which was carried on state TV on Saturday. “It can provide us with products 10 times more than the former chain.”
