Iranian officials said it foiled an attack carried out by a drone on the country's main facility used to manufacture centrifuges, according to a report published Wednesday.
According to Iranian sources who spoke to the New York Times, the facility near the city of Karaj on the outskirts of Teheran was carried out by a quadcopter drone that appeared to have taken off from inside Iran.
The report was published shortly after Iran reported that it has successfully foiled an attack on a building belonging to the country's atomic energy agency.
The targeted plant that was among the sites presented by Israel to senior officials in the Trump administration in early 2020 as a possible target in order to thwart Iran’s nuclear program.
The plant itself reportedly worked to produce new top-of-the-line centrifuges that can enrich more uranium in a shorter time, which are meant to replace the hundreds of centrifuges destroyed in the attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility in April.
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Iran's advanced centrifuges at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility
(Photo: Reuters)
According to Iranian news outlets, the attack ended with no casualties or damage, thanks to what officials described as "strict security measures" adopted by the regime following similar attacks, including the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Iran attributes all attacks to Israel.
The attack came amid talks between Iran and global powers to try to revive the 2015 agreement meant to contain Iranian nuclear development that was abandoned by the Trump administration in 2018.
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Servants of the holy shrine of Imam Reza carry the coffin of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in Mashhad, Iran
(Photo: Reuters )
Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi’s is also currently conducting a series of meetings with U.S. officials regarding Iran in Washington.
On Wednesday, Kochavi met with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss the regional security challenges, including the Iranian entrenchment throughout the Middle East as well as the faults in the current nuclear deal.
On Thursday Kochavi is expected to meet with CIA chief William Burns as well as with the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines.