Israel suspected of Natanz cyberattack against Iran: Biden and Iran
Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Iran is claiming that Israel unleashed a cyberattack against the uranium enrichment plant of Natanz. Sources in Israel seemed unusual in confirming the attack on the Iranian nuclear facility. Therefore, given Iran’s hatred of Israel along with the chaotic political scene in Israel, doubts persist about the real cause of the power failure.
Last year, Iran accidentally shot down a Ukrainian civilian plane that killed 176 people. Similarly, many Iranian sailors were killed in the Gulf of Oman after an Iranian military accident. Thus Iran is prone to major internal blunders that have serious consequences.
It is known that the administration of President Biden in America is open to re-igniting a nuclear deal with Iran. Hence, the timing of the suspected attack does imply a possible cyberattack by Israel. After all, political elites in Israel and Saudi Arabia are suspicious of the last two Democrat administrations (Barack Obama and Biden) because the new Biden administration is more open to Iran like Obama.
The BBC reports, “US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is visiting Israel, said he was aware of the reports about Natanz and that the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts to re-engage with Iran diplomatically would continue.”
The Jerusalem Post says, “The attack on Natanz appears to have been designed to counter Iran’s efforts to put pressure on the US as it negotiates a return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. It notably came as Austin landed in Israel for the first high-level visit by a member of the Biden administration, and a day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated new centrifuges at Natanz in a ceremony broadcast live on television.”
However, with Israel not taking the usual “silent approach” then some doubts persist. Of course, this open approach by Israel could imply internal discord based on the ongoing political scene.
If Israel was involved in a cyberattack against the Natanz then the Biden administration is already facing an uphill struggle. After all, tensions are increasing again between Ukraine and the Russian Federation – and China is increasingly unhappy with the Biden administration. Therefore, with America seeking to kickstart relations once more with Iran, it would be another indication of geopolitical failure.
The New York Times reports, “The explosion at Natanz struck barely a week after the United States and Iran, in their first significant diplomacy under the Biden administration, participated in the new talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the nuclear agreement abandoned by Mr. Trump, who described it as “the worst deal” and a giveaway to Iran.”
Overall, the Biden administration is taking a gamble by opening positive political channels with Iran and seeking to revive the complex nuclear agreement. After all, the two main regional allies of America – Israel and Saudi Arabia – both distrust the motives of Iran.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/was-israel-really-responsible-for-the-natanz-attack-664941
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56715520
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