Nuclear program of Iran

Iran has asked Interpol to help arrest a suspect in a sabotage attack on its Natanz nuclear facility which it blames on Israel, a local newspaper reported on April 18.

National television has published a photo and identified the man as 43-year-old Reza Karimi, saying the intelligence ministry had established his role in last week's "sabotage" at Natanz.

The damage said it had been caused by a large explosion that destroyed the independent internal power system that supplies the underground centrifuges

Iran on April 11 described a blackout at its underground Natanz atomic facility an act of "nuclear terrorism," raising regional tensions as world powers and Tehran continue to negotiate over its tattered nuclear deal.

Iran's Natanz nuclear site suffered a problem on April 11 involving its electrical distribution grid just hours after starting up new advanced centrifuges that more quickly enrich uranium, state TV reported. It was the latest incident to strike one of Tehran's most secure sites amid negotiations over the tattered atomic accord with world powers.

The United States and Iran said on April 3 they will begin indirect negotiations with intermediaries next week to try to get both countries back into compliance with an accord limiting Iran's nuclear program, nearly three years after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief announced on Feb. 21 a "temporary solution" to allow Iranian facility inspections to continue after days of talks with officials, giving some much needed breathing space for diplomatic negotiations.

Relations with the EU could be severed if Brussels imposes sanctions that are risky for sensitive spheres of the economy, Lavrov stated. "Our starting point is that we are ready for that step in case we notice, as we have seen on several occasions before, that sanctions are being prepared that would create a risk for our economy," he pointed out.

U.S. President Joe Biden has made clear he will not unilaterally lift sanctions against Iran, saying it must first adhere to its nuclear deal commitments despite demands on Feb. 7 from the Islamic Republic's supreme leader.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Jan. 29 that he hopes the Biden administration would return to the nuclear deal and lift sanctions on Iran.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Istanbul, Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey has always supported the nuclear deal that was reached by the U.S., EU and Iran.

European powers on Jan. 16 voiced deep concern over Iran's plans to produce uranium metal, warning that Tehran has "no credible civilian use" for the element.

"The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications," said the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in a joint statement.