US denies involvement in alleged sabotage incident at Natanz nuclear site
13 April, 2021
THE UNITED STATES says it had no role in a power cut at an Iranian nuclear site and declined to touch upon whether Israeli sabotage was at fault or if the incident might impair efforts to regenerate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
"The US had not been involved with any manner," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in response to problems. "We have nothing to include on speculation about the complexities or the impacts."
Iran accused arch-rival Israel of sabotaging the Natanz uranium enrichment plant and vowed revenge for an strike that were latest episode in a long-running covert war.
Israel opposes Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with key powers, an accord that Iran and US President Joe Biden want to revive after his predecessor, Donald Trump, abandoned it 3 years ago.
Israel, whose living Iran will not recognise, has but to formally comment, but Israeli media quoting unidentified intelligence options stated Israel's Mossad spy provider successfully sabotaged the underground complex.
Iran and the key powers referred to as "constructive" the talks last week to salvage the nuclear package, whose core bargain involved limiting Iran's nuclear activities in substitution for the lifting of sanctions by the united states and other powers.
Mr Trump reneged on the pact in 2018 by reimposing tough US economic sanctions, prompting Iran to breach a lot of the nuclear restrictions from 2019.
The indirect talks in Vienna, in which mainly European diplomats are shuttling between the remaining parties to the deal and america, are anticipated to resume on Wednesday.
Ms Psaki said she expected them to come to be "difficult and long".
"We have certainly not been offered any indication about a change on participation [by Iran]."
A US official said Washington had no factor to believe Tehran would change its approach as a result of the Natanz incident, but added "it's too early to say".
He as well echoed the viewpoint expressed the other day by a senior STATE DEPT. official that Tehran's requirements that Washington remove all sanctions imposed by the Trump administration since 2017 would bring about an impasse.
"If their job is… we must lift everything, and we have to lift it up front, and they verify it, and then they have their first step, that is clearly a recipe for paralysis," he said.
"We anticipation that they will take a more pragmatic approach."
Source: www.thenationalnews.com
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