The Mossad was suspected of having provided the Iranian opposition group with the information.
Stuxnet, a virus reportedly created by Israel and the United States, infiltrated Natanz and succeeded in destroying more than 1,000 centrifuges, causing significant delays to Iran’s nuclear program.
The Stuxnet code caused the engines in Iran’s IR-1 centrifuges to increase and decrease their speed. Iran usually ran its motors at 1,007 cycles per second to prevent damage, while Stuxnet seemed to increase the motor speed to 1,064 cycles per second, causing the engines to explode.
The explosion was meant to send an unambiguous deterrent message that Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon beyond certain redlines would not be tolerated, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The development was a further breach of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with the P5+1 major world powers and reflected its recovery from a blow suffered on July 2, 2020.
Based on reports, it seems the so-called accident was caused by a cyberattack, possibly by Israel.
Iran had restarted enrichment at the Natanz facility, the IAEA reported less than a month ago.
Last year, foreign sources blamed Israel for an alleged attack on the facility, which reportedly impacted Iran’s nuclear program significantly.