Zarif Claims Explosive Materials Were Embedded in Centrifuge Equipment Purchased by Iran

Iran's Vice President for Strategic Affairs announced the discovery of explosive materials embedded in nuclear centrifuge equipment purchased by Tehran. Mohammad Javad Zarif, in an interview with the online media 'Hozour' in Tehran published on January 13, provided little detail on the matter but linked the claim to broader security challenges that, according to him, Iran faces due to Western sanctions. Zarif stated that sanctions have forced the Iranian government and its allies to rely on intermediaries for purchasing necessary equipment, creating vulnerabilities that countries like Israel can exploit. He continued, 'Our colleagues purchased a centrifuge platform for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, which turned out to have explosive materials embedded in it, and they managed to identify it.' He did not mention the date of this discovery or further details but added that the materials were 'successfully' removed. In April 2021, following an explosion that caused a power outage at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, the Islamic Republic labeled it 'nuclear terrorism' and implicated Israel. Israel, which has a history of cyberattacks and targeted assassinations aimed at countering Iran's nuclear program, remained silent regarding these accusations at the time. Zarif described the claim of 'embedded explosives' in centrifuge equipment purchased from 'intermediaries' abroad as part of a 'coordinated Israeli campaign' to exploit the vulnerabilities of equipment that Iran was forced to buy from external agents due to sanctions. He explained that instead of directly ordering equipment from manufacturers, Iran has to rely on several intermediaries, and if Israel 'can even infiltrate one of these intermediaries, it can embed anything... and that is exactly what has happened.' He also referenced a series of explosions in September and October this year in Lebanon, where Israel detonated pagers and communication radios of the Hezbollah militia; these explosions resulted in the deaths of dozens of Hezbollah members and severely injured over three thousand other forces allied with the Islamic Republic. One of the injured was the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, who lost an eye and had fingers amputated. Zarif stated, 'The pager issue was a multi-year process that was carefully designed and orchestrated by the Zionists (Israelis).' Israeli leaders have accepted their country's responsibility for the pager explosions due to the 14-month war that Hezbollah launched in support of the extremist Hamas group against Israel. According to reports, following the pager explosions and other communication equipment of Hezbollah, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has banned the use of this equipment for its forces and has begun extensive investigations into its personnel. During those days, the Islamic Republic's concerns about the recurrence of explosions like those of the pagers in Lebanon and Syria led the Civil Aviation Organization to prohibit the transport of communication and mobile phone equipment on flights. Mohammad Javad Zarif acknowledged in the interview with 'Hozour' that sanctions have not only created financial problems for Iran but have also exposed the Islamic Republic to significant security risks. Zarif's statements come at a time when Joe Biden's administration is in its final days, and Donald Trump, a major supporter of Israel during his previous administration, is set to return to power on January 21. Meanwhile, Israeli media on Tuesday described the statements of Mohammad Islami regarding significant progress in the development of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as 'worrisome' and noted that 'thousands of people' have been employed in the development project. Mohammad Islami stated during a visit to the facility that the Bushehr nuclear power plant development project has 'recently set a record by pouring 22,000 cubic meters a day and will reach a daily concrete pouring capacity of 65,000 cubic meters next year to maintain the project's momentum.' The announcement of the Bushehr power plant development comes as Rafael Grossi, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has warned that Iran is not fully transparent in its nuclear activities. Ahmad Mohammadi Zadeh, the governor of Bushehr in Ebrahim Raisi's government, had previously revealed that the IRGC is involved in the development of the Bushehr nuclear facilities and has taken responsibility for constructing parts of two units at this plant. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, who has been engaged in wars on multiple fronts for over 15 months, emphasized that after 'cutting off Iran's proxy arms in the region,' he will focus on countering Iran's nuclear ambitions. Donald Trump has stated that Iran should not have a nuclear bomb.