Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticized the drone strike as “cowardly” and aimed at creating “insecurity” in the country.
US officials say Israel appears to be behind the drone attack on a military plant in Iran.
Iran said on Sunday that it had intercepted drones targeting the facility near the central city of Isfahan, adding that there were no casualties.
The extent of the damage cannot be determined independently. Iranian state media released footage showing a flash of light in the sky and emergency vehicles at the scene.
Israel behind the drone attack, The Wall Street Journal quote unnamed US officials and people familiar with the strike said. There was no immediate response from Israeli authorities.
An unnamed US official told Reuters news agency it appeared Israel was involved. Other US officials declined to comment other than to say that the US played no role.
Meanwhile in Ukraine, which accuses Iran provide hundreds of drones traveled to Russia to strike targets in Ukrainian cities, a senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly linked the incident to the fighting there.
“Breaking night in Iran,” Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted. “Warned you.”
‘cowardice’
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticized drone attack as “cowardly” and intended to create “insecurity” in the country. State television broadcast comments by lawmaker Hossein Mirzaie saying there was “strong speculation” that Israel was behind the incident.
The Iranian Defense Ministry did not comment on who carried out the attack. However, Iran has been the target of suspected Israeli attacks in the past amid a clandestine war with its Middle Eastern rival. after the nuclear deal with world powers collapsing.
A ministry statement described three drones launched at the facility, with two of them successfully shot down. The third ball appears to have managed to hit the building, causing “minor damage” to its roof and not injuring anyone.
Isfahan’s factory is 350km (217 miles) south of the capital, Tehran. The ministry called the venue a “workshop” without explaining the details. It is home to both a large airbase built for the fleet of US-made F-14 fighter jets and a nuclear fuel research and production center.
When Amir-Abdollahian was asked if it affected country’s nuclear programHe replied, “Such moves cannot affect the will and intentions of our nuclear scientists in achieving peaceful nuclear energy.”
The Iranian government faces challenges both at home and abroad as its nuclear program rapidly enriches uranium closer to weapons-grade levels than ever since the nuclear accord with world powers. world collapse.
In separate incidents on Sunday, an oil refinery fire broke out in the northwest of the country and 5.9 magnitude earthquake attacked nearby, killing three.
Israel is suspected of carrying out a series of attacks on Iran, including the April 2021 attack on its underground Natanz nuclear facility, which damaged the country’s centrifuges . In 2020, Iran blames Israel for a sophisticated attack kill its top nuclear scientist.
Israeli officials rarely acknowledge activities carried out by the country’s secret military units or the country’s Mossad intelligence agency.
Negotiations between Iran and world powers to restore the 2015 nuclear deal have been stalled since September. Under the treaty, abandoned by Washington in 2018 under President Donald Trump, Tehran has agreed to limit nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.
