US intelligence sources have reveals new details related to the incident that took place in the Iranian Natanz Nuclear Facility on Sunday. The sources points out that the explosion has caused severe damage in the Iranian program for enriching uranium.
The damage was caused by a large explosion that completely destroyed the independent, and heavily protected, internal power system that supplies the underground centrifuges that enrich uranium, the New York Times cited intelligence officers as saying. The newspaper indicates that the explosion had dealt a severe blow to Iran’s ability to enrich uranium and that it could take at least nine months to restore production.
Intelligence sources told Israeli radio on Sunday that the damage caused by the explosion in the electricity distribution network section is “greater than what Iran says” and would undermine Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities.
The latest incident at the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran was likely caused by a cyber-attack, Israeli media says.
Ali Akbar Salihi, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, describes the incident as “nuclear terrorism,” stressing that Tehran reserves the right of response.
This incident has taken place hours after Iran announced the start of new advanced centrifuges in Natanz, which are working to enrich uranium faster.