US officials have warned Israel that attacks targeting the Iranian nuclear program are “ultimately counterproductive”, reported the New York Times. However, despite their argument that Tel Aviv’s actions are enabling Tehran to rebuild an even more efficient enrichment system, Israeli officials have dismissed the warnings, insisting they have “no intention of letting up,” according to sources cited by the outlet.
The report cites the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in late November 2020; a drone attack on the Karaj agricultural and nuclear medicine research facility; and several incidents at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Facility - all attributed to Israeli intelligence - that purportedly took uranium enrichments plants offline while destroying dozens of centrifuges.
Nevertheless, US officials have cautioned Tel Aviv against perusing similarly “tactically satisfying” efforts, insisting that Tehran is only able to “build back better” by getting the facilities back online and reportedly installing newer machines.
Furthermore, it was claimed that Iran had managed to improve its defenses in the cyber field, rendering attacks like the alleged joint US-Israeli effort, Stuxnet that crippled centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear enrichment site for over a year “much harder now to pull off.”
In 2010, Iran’s nuclear energy infrastructure was infected by the Stuxnet virus, alleged to have been engineered by Mossad, the CIA and Dutch intelligence, causing a broad range of problems and forcing Iran to pull most of its infrastructure offline. The report claimed that since abandoning the 2015 agreement, Iran had managed to reduce its “breakout time” to a bomb. Iran’s reduction of compliance to the deal has included increasing uranium stockpiling and enrichment levels beyond the parameters set out in the JCPOA, with Tehran insisting its moves are within its sovereign rights and can be reversed if the US ditched sanctions.
“Before Mr. Trump decided to scrap the deal, Iran had adhered to the limits of the 2015 agreement — which by most estimates kept it about a year from ‘breakout,’ the point where it has enough material for a bomb. While estimates vary, that buffer is now down to somewhere between three weeks and a few months, which would change the geopolitical calculation throughout the Middle East,” the report claimed.
2015 Nuclear Deal Talks
The alleged warnings from Washington come against the backdrop of continued efforts to bring Tehran back into the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Austrian police officers stand guard near the entrance of the Grand Hotel in Vienna on April 6, 2021, where diplomats of the EU, China, Russia and Iran will hold talks.
© AFP 2023 / JOE KLAMAR
Ahead of a slated resumption of the Vienna talks, that first began in April in the P5+1 format comprising Russia, China, the US, the UK, France, Germany and Iran, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tehran had again increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as of 6 November many times, defying commitments made under the 2015 nuclear deal which sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program. Tehran has always maintained was exclusively peaceful in nature.
In this image made from April 17, 2021, video released by the Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting, IRIB, state-run TV, various centrifuge machines line the hall damaged on Sunday, April 11, 2021, at the Natanz Uranium Enrichment Facility, some 200 miles (322 km) south of the capital Tehran, Iran
© AP Photo / IRIB
The total amount now includes 113.8 kg (251 lbs) enriched to 20 percent, up from 84.3 (186 lbs) in September, and 17.7 kg (39 lbs) enriched up to 60%, up from 10 kg (22 lbs), the IAEA report says.
The Vienna-based watchdog added it was unable to verify Iran’s exact stockpile of enriched uranium due to the limitations Tehran imposed on UN inspectors in February. Iran had restricted IAEA's access to footage from surveillance cameras installed at some nuclear sites or online enrichment monitors and electronic seals.
The Vienna negotiations are set to resume on 29 November after a five-month gap due to the presidential elections in Iran. In August, the newly-elected Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi noted that Tehran was ready for negotiations and aimed to support diplomatic initiatives under the condition that Washington lifts anti-Iranian sanctions.
Earlier in November, this stance was reaffirmed by Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman and top negotiator in the nuclear talks, Saeed Khatibzadeh, who noted that the Islamic Republic will continue its actions in breach of the nuclear deal until it is assured the US will lift its sanctions in a verifiable manner.