Damage in the Natanz nuclear facility caused by “electrical sabotage,” or “nuclear terrorism,” will not result in a setback, according to Iranian officials.
They said they intend to replace the damaged centrifuges with more advanced ones, according to statements on Monday.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh vowed revenge against Israel for Sunday’s Natanz attack but downplayed the damage.
Tehran said it would soon host Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković. The twin announcements appeared to indicate that Iran is putting on a brave face after the Natanz incident. It wants to show it can host Russia, a US rival, and that it can repair the damage at the nuclear facility.
On Monday, there were indications that enrichment at Natanz could be set back many months.
This comes after an incident last July that also led to damage at the same site. Progress at the facility was set back several months, according to reports. Damage was done to an internal power system that supplies the underground centrifuges, The New York Times reported.
Khatibzadeh said only the older IR-1 centrifuges were damaged on Sunday and that they would be replaced by advanced IR-9 centrifuges. This is a nice way to put a positive spin on the failure of Iran to protect and secure the Natanz facility.
Tehran can continue to claim it is operating and preparing to operate the advanced centrifuges. But the proof will be if these centrifuges actually end up spinning and being filled, rather than what reports indicate, which is that they were damaged.