Iran Concealed Israeli Operation That Destroyed Secret Nuclear Facility

The Islamic Republic of Iran covered up a covert Israeli operation in July 2020 that resulted in the destruction of an Iranian nuclear facility that was kept secret from international atomic regulators.

The revelation about the operation was made this week after a hacker group obtained millions of documents from Iran’s judiciary and the Ministry of Intelligence.

Iran International discovered the incident after sifting through the documents and stumbling upon nine defendants who were charged with “confrontation with the Islamic government,” “sabotage,” “destruction of one of the Atomic Energy Organization’s devices,” “acts against national security through cooperation with Israel,” and possession of firearms and drugs.

An anonymous person claiming to be a disgruntled creditor contacted three brothers and asked them to hire a team of criminals to set the secret atomic workshop on fire. The brothers, who hired six additional cohorts, were paid 2.7 billion rials ($10,000 at the time) and told they would be paid more if they destroyed the facility by setting it on fire and filming it.

The nine defendants stormed the facility in an old neighborhood in southwestern Tehran with weapons, tied up the guard, and destroyed at least some of the equipment inside, the report said.

The attack “became one of the most significant national security issues in Iran, with reports reaching Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic,” the report said.

All nine defendants were arrested within a month and were accused of acting on behalf of Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, commonly known as Mossad.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that they were never alerted by Iran to the existence of the facility, a clear violation of international law.

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One of the puzzling aspects about the case was that Khamenei ordered harsh punishments for those behind the attack, and yet the most severe sentence handed down was only 10 years while some got as few as just four years.

Iran routinely executes those who are accused of spying or acting on behalf of Israel or the United States.

A former member of Iran’s Parliament, who has extensive knowledge of Iran’s nuclear activities, told Iran International: “I am almost familiar with all the nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic and have often seen these centers up close, but I have never heard of such facilities in the Shadabad area. Considering that the Ministry of Intelligence and the judiciary believe this incident was the work of Israel, we are definitely talking about an important workshop.”