Sabotage Attempt on Iran’s Uranium Enrichment Program Thwarted

Iran’s Vice President for Strategic Affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, revealed that authorities had thwarted a sabotage attempt targeting the country’s uranium enrichment program.

The plot involved intermediaries who acquired a rigged component for the country’s centrifuges, helping Iran evade sanctions.

In a televised interview streamed exclusively online, Zarif cautioned that Iran is facing growing security challenges in acquiring spare parts due to US sanctions.

“Our colleagues had purchased a centrifuge platform for the Atomic Energy Organization, and it was discovered that explosives had been embedded inside it, which they managed to detect,” he told the Hozour (Presence) online program.

It was not clear when the alleged incident occurred.

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Orchestrated Attacks

On September 17, thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded simultaneously in Beirut’s southern suburbs and its other strongholds. Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was among the injured.

The attack, followed by a second bombing the next day targeting walkie-talkies, killed 39 people and injured over 3,400.

“The issue with the pagers in Lebanon turned out to be a multi-year process, meticulously orchestrated by the Zionists (Israelis),” said Zarif.

Following the pager explosions, Iranian officials and lawmakers warned of potential Israeli infiltrations similar to the attacks. As a precaution, the communication devices used by Iranian officials underwent security reviews.

This is not the first time Iran has raised concerns over potential infiltration through spare parts. In late August 2023, Iranian state television reported the thwarting of an Israeli “plot.” The plot aimed to sabotage Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs. It involved faulty spare parts acquired from a foreign supplier.

Authorities stated the parts could have caused explosions or malfunctions in Iranian missiles before launch.

Iranian government officials accused Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad of orchestrating the shipment of defective parts and electronic chips used in missiles and drones.

A defense ministry official confirmed that a “network of agents” had attempted to introduce the rigged components.

In April 2021, Israel’s Mossad caused an explosion at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility, which housed hundreds of centrifuges.

Alireza Zakani, then a member of parliament and now Tehran’s mayor, said that “300 pounds of explosives planted in equipment sent abroad for repairs” caused the blast.

The explosion destroyed the electrical distribution system 50 meters underground.

This news is sourced from [Asharq Al-Awsat] and is for informational purposes only.