Suspect named in attack on Iranian nuclear facility
A suspect has been identified in the attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility last weekend, which damaged centrifuges at the site.
Reza Karimi, 43, was named a suspect by state television, which showed what seemed to be an Interpol “red notice” seeking the man’s arrest, The Associated Press reported.
A search for Karimi — who allegedly fled Iran “hours before” the attack last Sunday — on the section of the bureau’s public website dedicated to red notices, did not produce any results.
Interpol did not immediately respond to the Daily News’ request for comment.
The broadcast said that “necessary actions” are in process to legally bring the suspect back to Iran. Those actions were not detailed.
The targeted facility is one of the most secure in the country and though the TV report was the first acknowledgment of a “limited explosion of a small part of the electricity-feeding path to the centrifuges’ hall,” it did not detail how Karimi would have achieved access.
The report denied there had been a cyberattack — as previously reported by Israeli media — and attributed the blast to “the function of explosive materials.”
“Many of the centrifuge chains that faced defects are now under control. Part of the work that had been disrupted will be back on track with the round-the-clock efforts of my colleague,” said an unnamed technician on the report.
The attack, originally dubbed a blackout in the facility’s electrical grid, preceded Tuesday’s release of America’s annual intelligence report maintaining that Iran is not currently attempting to build a nuclear bomb.
The full extent of the damage from the sabotage is still unclear and overlapped with Iran and world powers negotiating whether the U.S. will be permitted to re-enter the 2015 nuclear deal former President Donald Trump withdrew the country from in 2018.
The agreement prevents the Middle Eastern nation from stockpiling enough high-enriched uranium to build a nuclear weapon contingent on economic sanctions being lifted.
With News Wire Services
