Iran says 4 arrested for trying to sabotage nuclear site
Head of atomic agency says four people arrested on suspicion of attempted sabotage at nuclear plant. Netanyahu: Our main goal is to deprive Iran of enrichment capabilities
Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Organization, said Sunday that Iranian authorities have arrested four people on suspicion they tried to sabotage a nuclear plant.
Salehi said officials had monitored and then arrested a "number of saboteurs" before they could carry out their plan.
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"Four of these individuals were caught red-handed and their interrogations are ongoing," he said, according to the Mehr news agency on Sunday. He did not identify which nuclear site they were planning to damage or when those detained were arrested.
Last week it was reported that the commander of Iran's Cyber War Headquarters, was found dead in a wooded area near the town of Karaj. The Revolutionary Guards denied that Mojtaba Ahmadi had been assassinated.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on his trip to the US and the Iranian nuclear issue in the wake of a US-Iran rapprochement. Speaking at Sunday's cabinet meeting, he said he discussed with US President Barack Obama "our shared interest in preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."
He further added, "Our main goal is to deprive Iran of enrichment capabilities. We are not against diplomatic negotiations with Iran but we insist that they will result in a dismantling of enrichment capabilities."
"Iran claims it seeks this ability for the purpose of peaceful nuclear energy. Seventeen countries manufacture peaceful nuclear energy without one centrifuge and without enrichment because enrichment is the main component in producing fissile material in a nuclear bomb.
"Anyone who does not want fissile material for a nuclear bomb does not insist on enrichment. Iran must not obtain enrichment capability. That is the most important point, the sanctions are powerful, they work and are a moment away from achieving their purpose. They must not be relieved until Iran is prevented of enrichment capabilities."
On Saturday, Obama disclosed that US intelligence agencies believe Iran continues to be a year or more away from building a nuclear weapon, an assessment that is at odds with Israel, which contends Tehran is on a faster course toward a bomb.
AFP and Reuters contributed to this report
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