Iran named a suspect on Saturday in the attack on his nuclear plant in Natanz, which damaged the centrifuges there, saying he fled the country “a few hours before” the sabotage.
Although the extent of the damage caused by the April 11 sabotage remains unclear, it comes as Iran seeks to negotiate with world powers to allow the US to reintroduce its raging nuclear deal with world powers and lift the economic sanctions it faces.
Already, Iran has begun enriching uranium with up to 60% purity in response – three times higher than ever, albeit in small quantities. Iran’s sabotage and response to it have further inflamed tensions in the Middle East, where a black war between Tehran and Israel, the main suspect in the sabotage, is still raging.
State television named the suspect Reza Karimi, 43. He showed a passport-style photo of a man he identified as Karimi, saying he was born in the nearby city of Kashan, Iran.
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The report also released what appeared to be a “red opinion” from Interpol calling for his arrest. The arrest warrant was not immediately available on Interpol’s public database. Interpol, based in Lyon, France, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The TV report said that “the necessary actions” are underway to bring Karimi back to Iran, through legal channels, without elaborating. Interpol’s alleged “red alert” listed its travel history as including Ethiopia, Kenya, the Netherlands, Qatar, Romania, Turkey, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates.
The report did not explain how Karimi gained access to one of the safest facilities in the Islamic republic. However, for the first time, authorities acknowledged that an explosion had hit the Natanz plant.
There was a “limited explosion of a small part of the power supply to the centrifuge room,” the TV report said. “The explosion occurred due to the function of the explosive materials and there was no cyber attack.”
Initial reports in the Israeli media, which maintain close ties with its military and intelligence services, blamed a cyber attack for the damage.
This satellite photo provided by Planet Labs Inc. shows the Iranian nuclear plant Natanz on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Iran began enriching uranium on Friday, April 16, 2021, to the highest level ever at Natanz, approaching the level of pressure weapons. talks in Vienna aimed to restore his nuclear deal with world powers after an attack on the site. (Planet Labs via AP)
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The Iranian state TV report also said that there were images that corroborated the report of an explosion rather than the cyber attack offered by the security services, but did not broadcast these images.
The report also showed centrifuges in a room, as well as what appeared to be a precautionary tape at the Natanz plant. In a single photo, a TV reporter interviewed an unnamed technician who was shown from behind – probably a security measure, as Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in suspected Israeli-orchestrated attacks in the past.
“The sound you hear is the sound of working cars that, fortunately, are not damaged,” he said, the sharp cry of centrifuges heard in the background. “Many of the defective centrifuge chains are now under control. Part of the work that has been discontinued will be back on track with the ongoing efforts of my colleagues.”
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In Vienna, negotiations on the agreement continued on Saturday. The 2015 agreement, from which former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US in 2018, prevented Iran from storing enough rich uranium to be able to pursue a nuclear weapon if it chose to lift economic sanctions in exchange.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, although the West and the IAEA say Tehran has organized an organized military nuclear program until the end of 2003. An annual US intelligence report on Tuesday maintained the long-standing US assessment that Iran is not present to build a nuclear bomb.
Iran has previously said it can use up to 60% enriched uranium for nuclear-powered ships. However, Iran does not currently have such ships in its navy.
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The Natanz attack was initially described only as a power outage – but later Iranian officials began calling it an attack.
An Iranian official referred to “several thousand damaged and destroyed centrifuges” in a state TV interview. However, no other official provided that figure and no images of the consequences were published.