Iran: Drone attack hits nuclear centrifuges, damage reported
The target of an attack in Karaj city reported by Iranian media on Wednesday was a factory producing aluminum blades for uranium enrichment centrifuges, according to Israel’s Channel 13.
Contrary to the Iranian reports, which said that the “sabotage attempt” near Tehran had been thwarted and resulted in no casualties or damage, Channel 13 claimed that the factory did suffer damage, setting back Iran’s nuclear program.
The facility, known as the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company, or TESA, is one of the main manufacturing centers for the centrifuges used at the nuclear facilities in Fordow and Natanz, according to The New York Times, which cited an anonymous senior intelligence official. According to the Times, the attack was carried out by means of a small quadcopter drone apparently launched from a location not far from the site.
The report further claimed that the TESA site was on a list of targets presented to then-U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020 by Israel, along with the Natanz enrichment facility itself and chief Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
The Natanz site suffered a massive explosion in July of that year, and Fakhrizadeh was killed on the outskirts of Tehran three months later. Iran has accused Israel of responsibility for both incidents. Another explosion tore through the Natanz nuclear facility on April 11, setting Iran’s nuclear program by some two months.
Iran has not yet accused any party of responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, saying only that the incident remains under investigation.
Iran’s aviation agency announced on Wednesday that a new law will require all civilian drones to be registered with the government within six months, the Times reported.
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