Arabic media: Israeli cyberattack struck Natanz nuclear facility

[DavidSling]

The Kuwaiti paper argues that Iran has now lost 80% of its stock of this gas.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
JULY 3, 2020 17:57

view of a damage building after a fire broke out at Iran's Natanz Nuclear Facility, in Isfahan, Iran, July 2, 2020.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
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Kuwait’s Al-Jarida newspaper, which covers security incidents and sometimes alleges Israeli involvement, says that Israel carried out a cyber attack on the Natanz nuclear facility on Thursday. The incident has been downplayed by Iran but experts say that a sensitive warehouse that deals with centrifuges was damaged.

According to the report a source informed Al-Jarida that a cyber attack hit the facility. The report linked this to an earlier cyber attack on Israeli water infrastructure that Iran allegedly carried out and then another cyber attack on an Iranian port in May. It also links the Natanz cyber attack to the earlier Stuxnet computer worm attack in 2010.

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These are coordinated sabotage operations, according to the newspaper. The Natanz incident explosion and another explosion near Parchin targeted UF6 gas storage that was used for uranium enrichment. This is uranium hexafluoride gas.


In November, 2019 Iran unveiled the production and injection of the gas into IR-6 centrifuges. These are the advanced centrifuges Iran has increased at Natanz. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI)’s Ali Akbar Salehi has spoken openly about the gas and the new centrifuges. Iran added around 30 of these IR-6 centrifuges to Natanz in November 2019, making at least 60 in total at the site.

The Kuwaiti paper argues that Iran has now lost 80% of its stock of this gas. “This is likely to be an electronic attack on the computer network that controls the storage compression tanks. Iran will need about two months to compensate for the gas that was lost.”

The Natanz explosion led to a “crack in the reactor building. Specialized groups went to the reactor to discover whether there was leakage in radioactive materials.” Iran says there was no leak at the site.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/i...rattack-struck-natanz-nuclear-facility-633775

 

[DavidSling]

Iran threatens retaliation after possible cyber attack on nuclear site
Two of the officials said Israel could have been behind the Natanz incident, but offered no evidence.
By REUTERS
JULY 3, 2020 17:54

plane crash at the Boryspil… REUTERS 19/01/2020 12:16 IRAN-NUCLEAR/IAEA FILE PHOTO: An Iranian flag flutters in front of the IAEA headquarters in Vienna REUTERS Link copied to clipboard. (internationalbox) FILE PHOTO: An Iranian flag flutters in front of the IAEA headquarters in Vienna 19/01/2020 12
(photo credit: REUTERS/ LEONHARD FOEGER)
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Iran will retaliate against any country that carries out cyber attacks on its nuclear sites, the head of civilian defense said, after a fire at its Natanz plant which some Iranian officials said may have been caused by cyber sabotage.

The underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) is one of several Iranian facilities monitored by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.

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Iran's top security body said on Friday that the cause of the "incident" at the nuclear site had been determined, but "due to security considerations" it would be announced at a convenient time.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) initially reported an "incident" had occurred early on Thursday at Natanz, located in the desert in the central province of Isfahan.

It later published a photo of a one-story brick building with its roof and walls partly burned. A door hanging off its hinges in the photo suggested that there had been an explosion inside the building.

"Responding to cyber attacks is part of the country's defense might. If it is proven that our country has been targeted by a cyber attack, we will respond," civil defense chief Gholamreza Jalali told state TV late on Thursday.

An article issued on Thursday by state news agency IRNA addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United States, although it stopped short of accusing either directly.

Latest articles from Jpost
Natanz incident, but offered no evidence.

Asked on Thursday evening about recent incidents reported at strategic Iranian sites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters: “Clearly we can’t get into that."

The Israeli military and Netanyahu's office, which oversees Israel's foreign intelligence service Mossad, did not immediately respond to Reuters queries on Friday.

In 2010, Stuxnet computer virus, which is widely believed to have been developed by the United States and Israel, was discovered after it was used to attack Natanz facility.

Natanz was built in secret without the IAEA's knowledge but was exposed by an Iranian opposition group in 2002. Iran acknowledged the sites existence in 2003.

The underground Natanz site remains the centerpiece of Iran's enrichment program, though Tehran denies ever seeking nuclear weapons, saying its atomic program is only for peaceful purposes.

Iran curbed its nuclear work in exchange for the removal of most global sanctions under an accord reached with six world powers in 2015, but has reduced compliance with the deal's restrictions since the United States withdrew in 2018.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/i...-possible-cyber-attack-on-nuclear-site-633772

 

[Philosopher]

Fake news.

Is this the same Kuwaiti media that claimed Israeli F-35 flew over Iran? This fake new is obvious for anyone with any understanding of such facilities. It is not possible to perform external cyber attack on such air gapped facilities. If there was any sabotage, it would have been done internally.

 

[zartosht]

so zionists openly celebrate state sponsored terrorism...

 

[Philosopher]

It seems Iran humiliated the zionists badly by hacking into their water facilities and could have increased the chlorine content if it chose to.

Iran cyberattack on Israel’s water supply could have sickened hundreds

https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-...r-supply-could-have-sickened-hundreds-report/

In return, it seems Israel/US paid some internal agents to set fire to some medical facility, gas container and now outside of Natanz. They have to resort to these fake cyber attack claims to save face I suppose. They should be careful however because they have learned how vulnerable they are. And if these weak fires are the best their agents can do, then this is disappointing.

 

[Fawadqasim1]

These things happen in centrifuge testing facilities

 

[Beny Karachun]

It seems Iran humiliated the zionists badly by hacking into their water facilities and could have increased the chlorine content if it chose to.

Iran cyberattack on Israel’s water supply could have sickened hundreds

https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-...r-supply-could-have-sickened-hundreds-report/

In return, it seems Israel/US paid some internal agents to set fire to some medical facility, gas container and now outside of Natanz. They have to resort to these fake cyber attack claims to save face I suppose. They should be careful however because they have learned how vulnerable they are. And if these weak fires are the best their agents can do, then this is disappointing.

Lmao Iran literally did nothing and failed with their attack, in response we shut down your harbor, and probably blew up your nuclear reactor, along with 2 other suspicious explosions in the last week.

You defy all logic, first we were humiliated by bombing Iranian forces in Syria, now we are being humiliated by hacking your nuclear reactors, tomorrow we will be humiliated by destroying your whole nation.

 

[Trench Broom]

Iran probably regrets that attempted cyber attack against Israel's civilian water supply. It just shows how sick the Iranian regime is to attack the drinking water of a country in a region where water is precious.

I welcome all cyber attacks against Iran in retaliation. They need to be crippled.

 

[Philosopher]

Lmao Iran literally did nothing and failed with their attack,

It did not fail anything. It was a warning. Iran could have poisoned 100's of your people.

in response we shut down your harbor,

That was fake news.

and probably blew up your nuclear reactor,

What nuclear reactor?

along with 2 other suspicious explosions in the last week.

Internal sabotage is more likely.

You defy all logic, first we were humiliated by bombing Iranian forces in Syria,

You are bombing Syrians, not "Iranian forces".

now we are being humiliated by hacking your nuclear reactors,

Well if Israel is feeding you such a silly fake news to calm your nerves, then that is okay.

tomorrow we will be humiliated by destroying your whole nation.

Lets be realistic, your country is too weak and too small to ever pose such a threat to Iran proper.

 

[Muhammed45]

Iran probably regrets that attempted cyber attack against Israel's civilian water supply. It just shows how sick the Iranian regime is to attack the drinking water of a country in a region where water is precious.

I welcome all cyber attacks against Iran in retaliation. They need to be crippled.

First mistake Israel is not a country and will never be. Only a Cancer that needs to be cured.

There was no Israeli attack against Iranian nuclear facility as they claimed. It was a testing problem nothing more and no nuclear pollution occured. A Mechanical failure at its worst.

 

[zartosht]

Lmao Iran literally did nothing and failed with their attack, in response we shut down your harbor, and probably blew up your nuclear reactor, along with 2 other suspicious explosions in the last week.

You defy all logic, first we were humiliated by bombing Iranian forces in Syria, now we are being humiliated by hacking your nuclear reactors, tomorrow we will be humiliated by destroying your whole nation.

the more i read zionist/israeli posts.. the more confident i become.

i honestly used to believe zionists were actually a very serious and deadly force..... but now i realize how badly i was tricked. not only are you weak and pathetic, but you are far dumber then i had given you guys credit for.. given that you actually believe your own propaganda.

the only powerful thing about "israel" is its propaganda machines. they need that propaganda power to display themselelves as strong to attract "aliyah" thieves (white immigrants the zionist government populate their entity with at the expense of the locals).

if it wasnt for propaganda. who in their right minds would move into this fascist thieving entity? they need that aura of securty and power to attract those aliyah vermins.

your post ww2 british/western creation is going to be a fart in history.... 60 years is nothing when taken in the context of thousands of years..... sons of slaves, persians were the only group of people who were historically good to you, and you managed to piss them of as well.. you will learn your place soon, a place where your ancestors knew well..... there is a reason your people have been slaves/hated by virutally every group known to man.

 

[skyshadow]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1279107165966544897

 

[LeGenD]

Members are requested to avoid flamebaiting.

Address an argument, do not attack an individual or an entity for the sake of it.

 

[Mithridates]

Fake news.

Is this the same Kuwaiti media that claimed Israeli F-35 flew over Iran? This fake new is obvious for anyone with any understanding of such facilities. It is not possible to perform external cyber attack on such air gapped facilities. If there was any sabotage, it would have been done internally.

actually they said the same this time too, israel did a cyber attack on natanz enriching facility and F-35 bombed parchin defense facilities.

 

[Aspen]

Fake news.

Is this the same Kuwaiti media that claimed Israeli F-35 flew over Iran? This fake new is obvious for anyone with any understanding of such facilities. It is not possible to perform external cyber attack on such air gapped facilities. If there was any sabotage, it would have been done internally.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. If it was air gapped, somebody had physical access to the facility.

This was not a cyberattack. This was an inside job.