Asia

Blast Heard Over Iran's Natanz, Where Nuclear Facility Located

Recent media reports have suggested that Israel's Mossad organised earlier blasts at the Natanz nuclear site using recruited Iranian scientists.
Sputnik
A blast was heard in the Iranian town of Natanz, where one of the country's nuclear sites is located, local Iranian Student News Agency has reported.
Another Iranian news outlet, PressTV later reported that air defence officials explained that they had fired a single missile to test the "rapid reaction force".

"Such exercises are carried out in a completely secure environment [...] and there is no cause for concern", an Army spokesman said.

Reports of the explosion come as talks continue in Vienna between the participants of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal) with the goal of restoring the accord and lifting sanctions from the Islamic Republic. As the signatories of the JCPOA try to salvage the 2015 deal, Israel has strongly opposed the effort, claiming it would allow Tehran to build nuclear weapons.
Iranian Scientists Recruited by Israel’s Mossad Behind Explosions at Natanz Nuclear Plant - Report
Tel Aviv has strongly suggested that it will do everything in its power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear device, which Tehran insists it is not seeking. While Israel has not publicly acknowledged engaging in operations against Iranian nuclear sites, the Natanz plant suffered a strong explosion on 11 April 2021. A recent media report suggested that the sabotage might have been carried out by scientists allegedly recruited by Israel's Mossad.
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