Moscow Hopes Incident At Iran's Natanz Facility Will Not Undermine JCPOA Negotiations

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th April, 2021) Russia hopes that a recent incident at the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran will not undermine negotiations on restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday.

On Sunday morning, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) reported that the Natanz facility had suffered an incident involving its electricity distribution network. AEOI chief Ali Akbar Salehi described the incident as "nuclear terrorism." Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran believes that Israel is behind the recent sabotage actions at the facility.

"We are closely following media reports and statements by Iranian representatives in connection with the situation at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, where a serious incident took place. We are confident that its causes will be thoroughly investigated by the Iranian side," Zakharova said in a statement.

The spokeswoman added that Moscow is concerned about how the incident will affect multilateral efforts to restore the JCPOA.

"We hope that what happened will not become a 'gift' to various opponents of the JCPOA and will not undermine the consultations that are gaining momentum on the 'Vienna site' to revive these agreements," Zakharova added.

The spokeswoman also said that if the incident was a deliberate attack that it should be strongly condemned.

"In this situation, it is not only the threats to nuclear and radiation safety that are causing concern, which Iranian specialists were able to deal with in a timely manner and professionally. If it is confirmed that someone's deliberate actions are behind this incident, then such an intent deserves strong condemnation," Zakharova said.