Iran Says Natanz Nuclear Site Hit by Terrorism

[Trelane]

"An incident at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday was caused by an act of “nuclear terrorism”, the country’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said, according to state TV, adding that Tehran reserves the right to take action against the perpetrators."

Full story here:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-natanz/iran-says-natanz-nuclear-site-hit-by-terrorism-tv-idUSKBN2BY052

[Grim Reaper 6]

1 hour ago, Trelane said:

"An incident at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday was caused by an act of “nuclear terrorism”, the country’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said, according to state TV, adding that Tehran reserves the right to take action against the perpetrators."

Full story here:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-natanz/iran-says-natanz-nuclear-site-hit-by-terrorism-tv-idUSKBN2BY052

Israel needs to back off and stop their dangerous attempts at stopping Irans Nuclear programs. It appears it was another Stuxnet Worm ( Virus Attack ) that breached their firewall that was designed to prevent it. It is believed that this Worm was developed by the US and Israel in 2010. Since President Trump ( Supporting Israel and the Extreme Religious right Christian Zionists faction in the White House ) pulled out the Iranian Nuclear deal, and replaced all sanctions back on Iran, the Iranians in response have upgraded their entire Uranium Enrichment Program.

They are now using IR-6 Semi-industrial centrifuges which are state of the Art gas centrifuges that are able to produce large quantities of refined Uranium very quickly. The biggest danger that could have occurred due to the effects of the computer worm was explosion or other forms of radioactive gas release that would contaminate the facilities and kill its personnel do to inhalation of radioactive gas and fragmentation from possible explosions. I am totally against attacking the Nuclear Enrichment facilities of any Nation, I think it is irresponsible and a terrorist act. 

While I absolutely have no use for Iran, and I realize that they are one of the biggest sponsors of terrorism in the World I still am against attacking their facilities. The Iranian Nuclear deal was not perfect, but it was better than what is occurring now because of the programs shut. I believe that diplomacy is the only way forward and I believe it's the only answer and I also believe that its the safest way to Handel the situation.

https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1204/ML12045A055.pdf - danger from unintentional electrical grid shut of Centrifuge

 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-israel-stuxnet-idUSKCN1SM116 - Computer Worm Stuxnet

https://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/ur-enrichment.html - types of Uranium enrichment 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/11/israel-appears-confirm-cyberattack-iran-nuclear-facility - Israel responsible for  cyber attack on Iranian Uranium Enrichment Facity.

[DarkHunter]

Seems like a computer virus may have been involved but the virus, if one was used, wasn't what directly took out the power.  Reports are coming out now that a large explosion within the nuclear facility completely destroyed the internal power system shutting down the entire facility.  Officially the Iranian government is saying his injuries were caused by a fall from 7 meters inside the facility.

An explosion would explain the injuries caused to the spokesperson of the AEOI, I think I got that acronym right, who was touring the facility at the time of the attack and ended up with a broken ankle and fractured skull.  Would also explain a former IRGC commander tweeting about a fire inside the facility.

Seems from the reports at minimum it will take 9 months to get the facility back in operation.

Edited April 12, 2021 by DarkHunter

[+and-then]

My favorite line:

Iranian media later reported that Kamalvandi had an accident while visiting the Natanz site, “suffering a broken head and leg”  

I'm glad they didn't need to kill anyone to accomplish this setback for the mullahs.  

[+and-then]

If someone set a charge, the IRGC must be going NUTS trying to find who it was.  It wouldn't surprise me if every poor soul who worked in the facility wasn't summarily tortured for a confession.  What a way to run a railroad...

[DarkHunter]

15 minutes ago, and then said:

My favorite line:

Iranian media later reported that Kamalvandi had an accident while visiting the Natanz site, “suffering a broken head and leg”  

I'm glad they didn't need to kill anyone to accomplish this setback for the mullahs.  

We technically dont know if anyone was killed or not.  The Iranian government would never admit to anyone being killed, unless they were important or high level, as that would force a larger retaliation then what they will want to do.  

Besides from delaying the Iranian nuclear program it seems Israel might be trying to force Iran to retaliate in such a way that Israel can attack Iran openly.

[Grim Reaper 6]

1 hour ago, DarkHunter said:

Seems like a computer virus may have been involved but the virus, if one was used, wasn't what directly took out the power.  Reports are coming out now that a large explosion within the nuclear facility completely destroyed the internal power system shutting down the entire facility.  Officially the Iranian government is saying his injuries were caused by a fall from 7 meters inside the facility.

An explosion would explain the injuries caused to the spokesperson of the AEOI, I think I got that acronym right, who was touring the facility at the time of the attack and ended up with a broken ankle and fractured skull.  Would also explain a former IRGC commander tweeting about a fire inside the facility.

Seems from the reports at minimum it will take 9 months to get the facility back in operation.

Actually this Virus is designed to directly effect Hardware within a facility, such as Centrifuges and anything else if the program is modified to attack it. This Virus is not like other Viruses it is one of the most sophisticated computer Viruses developed so far below is what it is designed to do, and that is to destroy Electro-Mechanical equipment of any kind according to McAfee. In fact in 2016 one of its varents targeted Power Facilites in the Ukraine causing a Power outage see below. Also look at the highlighted above, this Virus could cause the system to self destruct.

What Is Stuxnet? | McAfee

Stuxnet reportedly destroyed numerous centrifuges in Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility by causing them to burn themselves out. Over time, other groups modified the virus to target facilities including water treatment plants, power plants, and gas lines.

Stuxnet was a multi-part worm that traveled on USB sticks and spread through Microsoft Windows computers. The virus searched each infected PC for signs of Siemens Step 7 software, which industrial computers serving as PLCs use for automating and monitoring electro-mechanical equipment. After finding a PLC computer, the malware attack updated its code over the internet and began sending damage-inducing instructions to the electro-mechanical equipment the PC controlled. At the same time, the virus sent false feedback to the main controller. Anyone monitoring the equipment would have had no indication of a problem until the equipment began to self-destruct.

Although the makers of Stuxnet reportedly programed it to expire in June 2012, and Siemens issued fixes for its PLC software, the legacy of Stuxnet lives on in other malware attacks based on the original code. These “sons of Stuxnet” include:

• Duqu (2011). Based on Stuxnet code, Duqu was designed to log keystrokes and mine data from industrial facilities, presumably to launch a later attack.
• Flame (2012). Flame, like Stuxnet, traveled via USB stick. Flame was sophisticated spyware that recorded Skype conversations, logged keystrokes, and gathered screenshots, among other activities. It targeted government and educational organizations and some private individuals mostly in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries.
• Havex (2013). The intention of Havex was to gather information from energy, aviation, defense, and pharmaceutical companies, among others. Havex malware targeted mainly U.S., European, and Canadian organizations.
• Industroyer (2016). This targeted power facilities. It’s credited with causing a power outage in the Ukraine in December 2016.
• Triton (2017). This targeted the safety systems of a petrochemical plant in the Middle East, raising concerns about the malware maker’s intent to cause physical injury to workers.
• Most recent (2018). An unnamed virus with characteristics of Stuxnet reportedly struck unspecified network infrastructure in Iran in October 2018.

[DarkHunter]

54 minutes ago, Manwon Lender said:

Actually this Virus is designed to directly effect Hardware within a facility, such as Centrifuges and anything else if the program is modified to attack it. This Virus is not like other Viruses it is one of the most sophisticated computer Viruses developed so far below is what it is designed to do, and that is to destroy Electro-Mechanical equipment of any kind according to McAfee. In fact in 2016 one of its varents targeted Power Facilites in the Ukraine causing a Power outage see below. Also look at the highlighted above, this Virus could cause the system to self destruct.

What Is Stuxnet? | McAfee

Stuxnet reportedly destroyed numerous centrifuges in Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility by causing them to burn themselves out. Over time, other groups modified the virus to target facilities including water treatment plants, power plants, and gas lines.

Stuxnet was a multi-part worm that traveled on USB sticks and spread through Microsoft Windows computers. The virus searched each infected PC for signs of Siemens Step 7 software, which industrial computers serving as PLCs use for automating and monitoring electro-mechanical equipment. After finding a PLC computer, the malware attack updated its code over the internet and began sending damage-inducing instructions to the electro-mechanical equipment the PC controlled. At the same time, the virus sent false feedback to the main controller. Anyone monitoring the equipment would have had no indication of a problem until the equipment began to self-destruct.

Although the makers of Stuxnet reportedly programed it to expire in June 2012, and Siemens issued fixes for its PLC software, the legacy of Stuxnet lives on in other malware attacks based on the original code. These “sons of Stuxnet” include:

• Duqu (2011). Based on Stuxnet code, Duqu was designed to log keystrokes and mine data from industrial facilities, presumably to launch a later attack.
• Flame (2012). Flame, like Stuxnet, traveled via USB stick. Flame was sophisticated spyware that recorded Skype conversations, logged keystrokes, and gathered screenshots, among other activities. It targeted government and educational organizations and some private individuals mostly in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries.
• Havex (2013). The intention of Havex was to gather information from energy, aviation, defense, and pharmaceutical companies, among others. Havex malware targeted mainly U.S., European, and Canadian organizations.
• Industroyer (2016). This targeted power facilities. It’s credited with causing a power outage in the Ukraine in December 2016.
• Triton (2017). This targeted the safety systems of a petrochemical plant in the Middle East, raising concerns about the malware maker’s intent to cause physical injury to workers.
• Most recent (2018). An unnamed virus with characteristics of Stuxnet reportedly struck unspecified network infrastructure in Iran in October 2018.

While Stuxnet can destroy stuff by over riding safety limitations making machines operate dangerously outside of what they were designed for, like with the centrifuges were the virus had the motor keep increasing the speed to its physical maximum limit and keeping it there, what occured seems more like a planted explosive.  While I havent seen any reports explaining what the power system is the fact that the reports are describing it as completely destroyed and not just damaged seem to suggest something bigger then just a virus induced failure. 

Also going with the NYT article.

"Some Iranian experts dismissed initial speculation that a cyberattack could have caused the power loss. The Natanz complex has its own power grid, multiple backup systems and layers of security protection intended to stop such an attack from abruptly shutting down its system.

“It’s hard to imagine that it was a cyberattack,” said Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group. “The likely scenario is that it either targeted the facility indirectly or through physical infiltration.” The intelligence officials said it was indeed a detonation of explosives.""

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/11/world/middleeast/iran-nuclear-natanz.html#click=https://t.co/8VTCmpt7A2

Plus it wouldn't be the first time Israel managed to smuggle explosives into a high security Iranian location.

Edited April 12, 2021 by DarkHunter

[Grim Reaper 6]

6 minutes ago, DarkHunter said:

While Stuxnet can destroy stuff by over riding safety limitations making machines operate dangerously outside of what they were designed for, like with the centrifuges were the virus had the motor keep increasing the speed to its physical maximum limit and keeping it there, what occured seems more like a planted explosive.  While I havent seen any reports explaining what the power system is the fact that the reports are describing it as completely destroyed and not just damaged seem to suggest something bigger then just a virus induced failure. 

Also going with the NYT article.

"Some Iranian experts dismissed initial speculation that a cyberattack could have caused the power loss. The Natanz complex has its own power grid, multiple backup systems and layers of security protection intended to stop such an attack from abruptly shutting down its system.

“It’s hard to imagine that it was a cyberattack,” said Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group. “The likely scenario is that it either targeted the facility indirectly or through physical infiltration.” The intelligence officials said it was indeed a detonation of explosives.""

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/11/world/middleeast/iran-nuclear-natanz.html#click=https://t.co/8VTCmpt7A2

Plus it wouldn't be the first time Israel managed to smuggle explosives into a high security Iranian location.

Thanks for your reply, I am intersted in this just like you because of the implications of what it could cause. You could certainly be right, I am not expert on this type of situation at all. I guess the best thing to do is just wait and see how this plays and what is ultimately blamed for the attack.

 

[DarkHunter]

More reports about the attack slowly coming out.  It seems that after the first explosion that took out the power system that further loud explosions occured in the underground parts of the nuclear facility along with fires breaking out after the explosions.

Seems damage may be more significantly more severe and wide spread then first reported and it will be amazing if no one was killed as I imagine this facility is probably staffed 24/7 and I'm guessing there is probably someone not too far away from any given area doing some task.

[DarkHunter]

The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence has reported they have identified the person responsible for the power outage at the nuclear facility.

Seems in traditional Iranian fashion they are not saying the true extent of the damage and are still trying to downplay it, which is going to be tricky as above ground damage is clearly visible from satellite images.

https://mobile.twitter.com/AuroraIntel/status/1381513869194039296

All I can say is whoever got identified as being responsible, whether they actually did it or not, I'm sure they, and possibly their family and close friends, are going to be having a rather bad day with some angry IRGC members.

[Luiza22]

Not  yet as good as a decade ago when Mossad working with the usual suspects sent Stuxnet worming into their plants and wrecking the Siemens equipment .

They also targeted individual key top management and development personnel and assassinated them  one at a time --- usually killed by machine  gun toting motor cyclists .

 The 'best' stunt was when they fooled several scientists to fly on the same plane to some conference in Scandinavia ( from memory ) . They then blow up the plane ,  though the usual verdict of pilot error was the official verdict . rofl .

[DarkHunter]

An Iranian politician is asking security forces of the Iranian nuclear facility how they failed to notice 300 pounds of high explosives being smuggled into the facility.  Some people inside Iran are trying to suggest the explosives were planted 10 to 15 years ago instead of recently but I feel that may be more if an attempt to save themselves.

As more reports come out it seems around 4,000 centrifuges were damaged in the explosion.

Edited April 13, 2021 by DarkHunter

[Earl.Of.Trumps]

Iran to enrich uranium to 60% in response to apparent Israeli attack

Iran has informed the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it will begin 60% uranium enrichment,
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters as he arrived to Vienna on Tuesday for a second round of nuclear talks.

 

Iran to enrich uranium to 60% in response to apparent Israeli attack (yahoo.com)

 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Earl.Of.Trumps

[+and-then]

IIRC, the most time-consuming stage in uranium enrichment is to get it to 20%.  It takes less time to go from 20%-90% than from yellow cake to 20%.  Breakout is very close if they have a sufficient supply ready to go to 60%.  Israel has a serious choice on the near horizon.  Obama's puppet will NOT help them but the danger Iran poses isn't just aimed at Israel.  I hope the Gulf States have already become part of Israel's war plan.  Iran's nuke ambitions need to be set back by years, not months.  If it takes low yield nuclear bunker busters, so be it.