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Iran Reportedly Blames Israel For Nuclear Attack, Vows Revenge

(Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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Iran reportedly accused Israel on Monday of launching the Sunday attack on its nuclear facilities and warned of retaliation.

“The answer for Natanz is to take revenge against Israel,” Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, according to the Associated Press (AP). “Israel will receive its answer through its own path.”

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the Sunday attack against the Natanz site, according to the report. Israeli news outlets, however, have reported the country carried out the cyberattack which caused a blackout at the facility, according to the AP. Israel’s Mossad spy agency was cited by Israel’s Kan public radio as the perpetrator, according to Reuters.

A former Iranian official reportedly said the attack sparked a fire, the AP reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the facility would be rebuilt with more capabilities, which would allow Iran to enrich uranium at a quicker rate, according to the report. The facility is key in Iran’s uranium enrichment program and is monitored by United Nations watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency, according to Reuters.

The attack came one day after Iran started new enrichment centrifuges at the site, according to the report. (RELATED: Iran Reportedly Turns Down Nuclear Negotiations With US, Escalating Tensions)

“The Zionists wanted to take revenge against the Iranian people for their success on the path of lifting sanctions,” Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted Zarif as saying, according to the AP. “But we do not allow (it), and we will take revenge for this action against the Zionists.”

Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Tehran has the right to revenge, according to Reuters.

“While condemning this despicable move, Iran emphasizes the need for the international community and the International Atomic Energy Agency to deal with this nuclear terrorism and reserves the right to take action against the perpetrators,” Salehi reportedly said.