A “huge explosion” shook Iran’s main enrichment facility at the Natanz nuclear site on Saturday, the Islamic regime has confirmed, in what Tehran claims was part of a military drill.
Several Iranian news outlets, however, reported a hostile drone was destroyed.
Israel, which never confirms attacks on Iranian sites or targets, was not blamed for the blast. However, the country’s deputy defense minister was coy when asked about the attack, saying he “can’t say” what happened.
“We don’t ask a man what he did at night, but we are currently trying to bring about a change in the motivations of the whole world through diplomatic means,” Deputy Defense Minister Alon Schuster told reporters on Sunday.
“Iran is a problem for the whole world, and not just the State of Israel alone,” Schuster said, adding that Israel had a duty to take whatever military action it deemed necessary to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Spokesman for the Iranian army, General Amir Tarikhani, said the blast, which was felt 12 miles away, was part of a routine missile test.
“An hour ago, one of our missile systems in the region was tested to assess the state of readiness on the ground, and there is nothing to fear,” Tarikhani said.
The United States warned Saturday it would not allow Iran to “slow walk” nuclear talks.
“We can’t accept a situation in which Iran accelerates its nuclear program and slow walks its nuclear diplomacy,” said a senior administration official.
The nuclear talks in Vienna were suspended once again, a mere two days after they had resumed following a five month hiatus, with the U.S. blaming Iran for not being “serious” about negotiating.
The Natanz site has been the target of various mystery explosions over the years, many of which were attributed to Israel.
An April 11 blast at the site’s underground nuclear facility saw the power supply cut and thousands of centrifuges destroyed, reportedly setting back the country’s nuclear program by nine months.
A July attack on the facility, which belongs to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, was said to have caused “major damage” by experts.
December 05, 2021, 12:30 PM
parabellum
Yeah, they blow up a lot, don't they?
December 05, 2021, 12:45 PM
mesabi
quote:
Yeah, they blow up a lot, don't they?
Not often enough.
December 05, 2021, 12:48 PM
ensigmatic
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe "If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
December 05, 2021, 01:51 PM
architect
quote:
Originally posted by parabellum: Yeah, they blow up a lot, don't they?
Maybe children/medieval cultures shouldn't play with matches?
December 05, 2021, 01:53 PM
rat2306
^^^Some Bozo ignored the "No Smoking" signs, once again.
December 05, 2021, 01:58 PM
nhtagmember
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch
I hope it gets worse with more ‘accidents’
December 05, 2021, 02:06 PM
gearhounds
Iran is riddled with Israeli spies and operatives. To the Mossad, it's probably so routine as to be boring.
“Remember to get vaccinated or a vaccinated person might get sick from a virus they got vaccinated against because you’re not vaccinated.” - author unknown
December 05, 2021, 02:13 PM
Oat_Action_Man
quote:
Originally posted by architect:
quote:
Originally posted by parabellum: Yeah, they blow up a lot, don't they?
Maybe children/medieval cultures shouldn't play with matches?
Well put!
----------------------------
Chuck Norris put the laughter in "manslaughter"
Educating the youth of America, one declension at a time.
December 05, 2021, 03:11 PM
sigmonkey
Oops Ops are the best, no matter who is involved...(or not)
Remember; "You can't put too much water in a nuclear reactor."
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
December 05, 2021, 04:14 PM
Rightwire
Israel - "I know NOTHING!... I see NOTHING!"
Pronoun: His Royal Highness and benevolent Majesty of all he surveys
343 - Never Forget
Its better to be Pavlov's dog than Schrodinger's cat
There are three types of mistakes; Those you learn from, those you suffer from, and those you don't survive.
December 05, 2021, 04:17 PM
SHOOTIN BLANKS
Those goofy Iranians. When they aren't busy sinking their own battleships... Such kidders.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Yidn, shreibt un fershreibt"
"The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind." -Bomber Harris
December 05, 2021, 04:24 PM
two-two-niner-romeo
"Being miserable and treating other people like dirt is every New Yorker's God-given right!" - GhostBusters II
"You have all the tools you need. Don't blame them. Use them." - Dan Worrall
December 05, 2021, 04:26 PM
tacfoley
It does my old heart good to read all these 'glowing' reports about the mullahs and their attempts to play catch-up with the real world.
December 05, 2021, 04:29 PM
sigmonkey
quote:
Originally posted by Rightwire: Israel - "I know NOTHING!... I see NOTHING!"
"Ani lo yode'a KELUMANI!... Ani lo roeh KELUM!"
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
December 05, 2021, 05:02 PM
CoolRich59
Gee, what a shame.
Let’s hope it was nothing minor.
_____________________________________________________________________ “One of the common failings among honorable people is a failure to appreciate how thoroughly dishonorable some other people can be, and how dangerous it is to trust them.” – Thomas Sowell
December 05, 2021, 05:04 PM
chbibc
Oh no! First Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, now this. What terrible luck!
----------------------- You can't fall off the floor.
December 05, 2021, 05:05 PM
P220 Smudge
Somewhere, there’s some Isrealis pissing their pants laughing.
______________________________________________ "If the truth shall kill them, let them die.”
Endeavoring to master the subtle art of the grapefruit spoon.
