Intel officials say Mossad behind Natanz power cut; Iran calls it ‘terrorism’

Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the organization, speaks with media while visiting the Natanz enrichment facility, in central Iran, November 4, 2019

Judah Ari Gross writes in Times of Israel, “Israel’s Mossad security service was behind a major power cut that halted uranium enrichment at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday, unidentified intelligence sources told Hebrew media outlets, in what Iran described as an act of “nuclear terrorism.”

“In the early hours of Sunday morning, the underground Natanz facility suffered an electrical disruption in what was widely speculated to be an Israeli cyberattack. Iran said the attack did not cause any casualties and did not cause radioactive pollution. Israel has officially refrained from commenting on the matter, and Iran has not specifically accused the Jewish state of being responsible for the incident.”

“On Sunday evening, unnamed intelligence sources were cited by a number of Hebrew news outlets as saying that the Mossad was involved in the attack, which was reportedly more severe than Iran had indicated. According to Channel 13 news, the cyberattack caused “severe damage at the heart of Iran’s enrichment program.”

Centrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, November 5, 2019.

“The timing of the attack was also said to not be incidental, coming the day after Iran celebrated its National Nuclear Technology Day; the day after Iranian scientists began operating more powerful centrifuges; and amid ongoing talks in Vienna aimed at revitalizing the flagging 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers, which Israel fiercely opposes.” (more…)