Iran blames ‘sabotage’ for blackout in nuclear site

ANKARA (AA) – An Iranian official said Sunday a power failure in the Natanz nuclear plant, near Tehran, may be the result of a "sabotage and infiltration act", according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity, without giving any further details.

Spokesperson of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Behrouz Kamalvandi, earlier reported “an accident in part of the electrical circuit" in the nuclear facility. He said no casualties nor pollution were caused by the accident.

Kamalvandi said the cause of the accident is being investigated.

The accident came a day after Tehran started up advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges at the Natanz facility.

Tensions between Iran and its long-time adversary Israel have escalated in recent months, especially after the new administration of President Joe Biden in Washington expressed willingness to revive diplomacy with Tehran, a move opposed vehemently by Israel.

Iran experienced several attacks on its nuclear facilities, including the assassination of its top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020, in which several Iranian officials blamed Israel and the US behind such attacks.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara