Top MP rejects claims of missile attack on Natanz nuclear facility

July 31, 2020 - 18:6

TEHRAN - Mojtaba Zolnour, the head of the Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has rejected claims of missile or drone attacks on the Natanz nuclear facility.

“Explosion had internal origin, and for the time being we cannot say the details,” ISNA quoted Zolnour as saying on Friday.

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said on July 2 there was an incident in “one of the industrial sheds under construction” at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant.

He noted that the incident caused no stoppage or slowdown of enrichment because the affected shed was actually under construction and not part of the enrichment process yet.

His remarks came hours after an informed Iranian security official told Press TV that there was no evidence to show that the incident has been an act of intentional sabotage.

Kamalvandi said, “The incident took place at about 02:00 local time this morning and caused no loss of life,” adding, “We have many open-space sheds at the Shahid Ahmadi Roshan enrichment complex. Our enrichment activities are mostly done underground.”

“Our open-space sheds do different things. This was one of those sheds, which was under construction. We have material damage, but no loss of life,” he explained.

Natanz is a uranium enrichment center located in the city of the same name in Isfahan Province, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the capital, Tehran.

It is among the sites now being constantly monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

NA/PA