An attack took place at the Natanz reactor after officials restarted the advanced centrifuges. The spinning centrifuges were said to speed the production of enriched uranium which could have been a significant milestone in Iran’s nuclear program. The attack came in the form of a large-scale blackout.
Tehran’s nuclear energy chief described the attack as an act of nuclear terrorism and that it warranted an equal response to perpetrators of the incident. According to the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran, the blackout damaged the electricity grid at the site.
The shocking thing is Israel has all but confirmed that the cyberattack was done by them. Aviv Kochavi, Israeli Defense Chief, said that the country’s “operations in the Middle East are not hidden from the eyes of the enemy”. Public media in Israel started claiming that the Mossad Intelligence played a significant role in the attack.
Oddly, there was no censorship or any restrictions on its coverage like Israel doesn’t care if Iran knows. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said in a statement that “The struggle against Iran and its proxies and the Iranian armament efforts is a huge mission. The situation that exists today will not necessarily be the situation that will exist tomorrow”.
Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s nuclear chief said that the attack was carried out by “opponents of the country’s industrial and political progress, who aim to prevent the development of a thriving nuclear industry”. He urged the international community and even the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to take action. He confirmed that the terrorist attack had damaged the electricity grid of the Natanz area.
The IAEA replied that it was aware of the issue but won’t comment further. Which basically means that they won’t do anything. The silent war between the two countries has been going on for decades. Strikes against shipping, the killing of Iran’s chief nuclear scientist, and the hundreds of Israeli airstrikes against Syria.
Israel has been trying to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program for years and has recently become more open in its attacks as noted by Western Officials.