US denies involvement in attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear site
Iran has blamed Israel for the attack on its Natanz nuclear site.
The United States says it wasn't involved in the apparent cyberattack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday, which Tehran has described as “nuclear terrorism” carried out by Israel.
“The US was not involved in any manner,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said when asked on Monday. “We have nothing to add on speculation about the causes or the impacts.”
Unnamed intelligence officials who spoke with The New York Times and were briefed on what was described as a deliberate explosion said the blast has impacted Iran’s ability to enrich uranium. They estimated it could take at least nine months to repair the damage and resume enrichment at the site.
The attack, which occurred hours after Iranian scientists had activated advanced centrifuges at the underground facility, comes as the Joe Biden administration seeks to reenter the Iran nuclear deal that his predecessor withdrew from in 2018. Washington and Tehran last week conducted indirect talks in Vienna aimed at resolving the standoff over which country should make the first move to come back into compliance.
