New satellite imagery of the Natanz enrichment plant shows that Iran has in last week removed and dispersed nearly all of the "chillers" from the two HVAC buildings at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz," Albright wrote in a post on X.

New satellite imagery of the Natanz enrichment plant shows that Iran has in last week removed and dispersed nearly all of the "chillers" from the two HVAC buildings at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz. The 24 chillers in total are being dispersed throughout the inside of the…

— David Albright (@DAVIDHALBRIGHT1) September 1, 2025

Albright, one of the leading experts on the Iranian nuclear issue, explained that the Iranians are utilizing the interim period when the facility is not operational. "The purpose of this removal and dispersal being that they are of high value, and since there is no electric power due to the Israeli bombings, and the centrifuges are currently inoperable, this is a tactic to make the chillers less vulnerable to future aerial bombardment in the interim."

Recent satellite imagery of the Natanz enrichment plant shows that Iran has in the last week removed and dispersed nearly all of the "chillers" from the two HVAC buildings at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz. Nineteen out of 24 chillers in total have been dispersed throughout… pic.twitter.com/V6lYYAl6Jb

— David Albright (@DAVIDHALBRIGHT1) September 2, 2025

He stated that some of the chillers were positioned on helicopter landing pads, others were relocated to the water purification facility area, and the remainder were scattered in various places throughout the complex. This, in light of the fact that the US exploited the ventilation systems of the Fordo nuclear site in its effort to compromise the underground enrichment halls beneath the mountain when it bombed the site with B-2 aircraft.

Natanz, situated approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Tehran, formed the core of the Iranian nuclear program with around 18,000 centrifuges. The Israeli and American strikes inflicted severe damage on the facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency assessed at the war's outset that the impact on the surface facilities disabled the power grid and damaged the centrifuges in the subterranean halls. Subsequent American attacks later struck these halls directly.

The hurried evacuation at Natanz is taking place amid the escalating nuclear crisis. Since the war began, Iran has denied access to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency who sought to visit the attacked facilities. This denial was a key factor that prompted Britain, France, and Germany last week to trigger the "snapback" mechanism, which will reimpose international sanctions within 30 days.

The post Iran's suspicious moves: Is it bracing for an Israeli strike? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The head of Iran's nuclear agency Mohammad Eslami accused Israel of carrying out an attack earlier in the year on a facility located west of Tehran in Karaj City that produces blades for uranium enrichment hubs.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

"The attack on the centrifuge and research facility was a terrorist act carried out by the Zionist regime," Eslami said in recorded marks broadcast on Iranian state television and distributed on social media Monday.

He claimed the attack specifically targeted cameras and monitoring equipment used by the International Atomic Energy Agency and insinuated Israel sought to sabotage Iranian ties with the UN agency.

Eslami's comments mark a shift in officials' previous statements, according to which Iran's aerial defenses thwarted the attack, preventing any serious damage to the facility.

According to Nournews, June 24th, 2021 "Security forces have managed to foil an act of sabotage against one of the buildings of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) in Karaj, Alborz province". Satellite Image from July 1st tells a different story. #Iran #Nuclear #JCPOA pic.twitter.com/QTAqTml4HT

— The Intel Lab (@TheIntelLab) July 3, 2021

In July, satellite intelligence firm The Intel Lab revealed the Kharaj City facility had in fact been damaged. According to foreign reports, the damage was sustained in an attack last month.

The industrial building used to produce the blades was damaged, and a large section of the roof around 45 meters (144 ft.) long was completely destroyed in the attack, which according to various reports was carried out by unmanned aircraft.

Black marks that appear in the satellite images indicate the structure incurred serious damage, and a fire likely broke out following the attack.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Iran blames Israel for 'terrorist' attack on Kharaj City centrifuge parts plant appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Iran on Monday blamed Israel for a sabotage attack on its underground Natanz nuclear facility that damaged the centrifuges it uses to enrich uranium there, warning that it would take revenge for the assault.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned Natanz would be reconstructed with more advanced machines, something that could imperil ongoing talks in Vienna with world powers about saving Tehran's tattered atomic accord.

"The Zionists wanted to take revenge against the Iranian people for their success on the path of lifting sanctions," Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted Zairf as saying. "But we do not allow (it) and we will take revenge for this action against the Zionists."

Meanwhile, an Israeli cabinet minister involved in defense and security activity told Israel Hayom on Monday that leaks about actions in Iran attributed to Israel are "a mistake and hurt Israel's goals."

The minister, who is a member of the Diplomatic Security Cabinet, said the he did not know if the leakers about the Natanz incident were Israeli or foreign, but stressed that "in situations like these, the proper policy is ambiguity. That's how it was in the past and that's how it should be today. Leaks cause harm."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, "The answer for Natanz is to take revenge against Israel," Khatibzadeh said. "Israel will receive its answer through its own path." He did not elaborate.

Khatibzadeh acknowledged that IR-1 centrifuges, the first-generation workhorse of Iran's uranium enrichment, had been damaged in the attack, but did not elaborate. State television has yet to show images from the facility.

Overnight Sunday, two intelligence officials informed the New York Times that Iran's Natanz nuclear reactor was damaged Sunday by an enormous explosion that completely destroyed the electrical system of its underground centrifuges.

The anonymous officials who spoke to the New York Times described a classified operation and said they believed it had struck a blow to Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities. Moreover, the officials said it might take as long as nine months to relaunch enrichment at Natanz.

Intelligence officials in Israel and the US said that Israel has played a role in the incident.

On Sunday, Iranian news outlets reported a large-scale fire at the underground uranium enrichment facility at Natanz following the electrical blackout. The cause of the fire was unknown.

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salai, said Sunday that the blackout was an act of "nuclear terrorism."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to make an oblique reference to Iran and its satellites at an event Sunday evening in honor of Israel's 73^rd Independence Day (which begins Wednesday evening). Defense and security officials, including Shin Bet security agency head Nadav Argaman, Mossad director Yossi Cohen, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, and members of the General Staff Forum were all at the event.

"The battle against Iran and its satellites and against Iran getting nuclear weapons is an enormous mission," Netanyahu said, "I won't say that the situation today will be the situation that exists tomorrow."

Shahar Klaiman, Neta Bar and Lilach Shoval contributed to this report. 

 Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Iran threatens revenge on 'the Zionists' for Natanz blackout appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

"In the near future we will unveil a new generation of centrifuges that are domestically made," said Zarean, without elaborating.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

In September, Iran said it had started developing centrifuges to speed up the enrichment of uranium as part of steps to reduce compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal following the withdrawal of the United States.

In neighboring Iraq, meanwhile, anti-government protesters returned to Baghdad's central plaza on Saturday after a night of bloody attacks that left 25 people dead and more than 130 wounded.

Storm clouds gathered over Khilani Square as the protesters surveyed the blackened facade of a parking garage that had served as their de facto command post before unknown assailants torched it Friday night.

The attack, which took place in darkness moments after the power was cut, marked a major escalation in assaults against protesters that have been taking place in recent weeks.

It was among the deadliest since Oct. 1, when thousands of Iraqis first took to the streets calling for sweeping political reforms and the end of Iran's influence in Iraqi affairs. At least 400 have died at the hands of security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the demonstrations.

Friday's attacks also came hours after Washington slapped sanctions on the leader of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a powerful Iran-backed militia accused of being behind deadly sniping attacks on protesters. The US Treasury sanctioned leader Qais al-Khazali, his brother Laith al-Khazali, a commander in the group, and Husain Falih Aziz al-Lami.

Demonstrators feared the attacks would be followed by armed street fighting and more violence that would undermine the peaceful tone of their mass rallies.

"Everyone is terrified," said Noor, a protester who provided only her first name for fear of reprisal. "We don't want this to become a street war. That is why we are trying to stay peaceful. But day after day we find that we are alone."

Anti-government activists blame the attacks on Iran-backed militias, which have staged similar assaults against protester sit-ins in the capital and the country's southern cities. On Thursday, the militias attempted to hold their own demonstration in the square to counter anti-government protesters, many of whom were attacked with knives by unknown assailants. They later withdrew.

Two Iraqi officials, who requested anonymity in line with regulations, said it was widely suspected that militiamen were involved in Friday night's attacks.

Members of the Popular Mobilization Units, an official umbrella organization comprising an array of militia groups, have said the attacks during the protests have been aimed at infiltrators of the anti-government movement who were looking to cause disturbances.

Falah Fayadh, chairman of the paramilitary PMUs, the program that oversees an array of Shiite militia groups, directed the PMU forces to stay away from squares occupied by protesters, according to an internal statement issued Saturday and seen by The Associated Press. Those who disobeyed the order would be fired, Fayadh said in the statement.

Protesters said the government's failure to protect them at the height of the hostilities on Friday forced them to rely on a militia linked to influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, also the leader of the Sairoon bloc, which holds the most seats in Parliament.

Al-Sadr has supported the protests by sending Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigades), a militia group under his control, to block roads and prevent anti-protest gunmen from entering during Friday's clashes.

Iraqi officials said they believed al-Sadr would use his popularity on the street as political leverage in talks over the selection of a new premier. Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi resigned last week in response to the protests.

Abdul-Mahdi's ascension to prime minister was the result of an uneasy alliance between the Sairoon bloc and parliament's other main bloc, the Fatah, which includes leaders associated with the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Units headed by Hadi al-Amiri.

Even protesters who are wary of al-Sadr's politics – they consider him part of the establishment they are protesting – said the presence of Saraya Al Salam members, who were unarmed, was key to their safety.

"I wish the ... army had come and fought for us so that other people don't feel that Sadr is protecting the protesters – because they are also a militia at the end of the day," Noor said.

For Iraqi officials inside the fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq's government, the presence of al-Sadr's militia on the street serves only to reinforce perceptions that the majority of anti-government protesters are in fact supporters of al-Sadr.

Al-Sadr, meanwhile, said his home in the holy city of Najaf was hit by a drone strike on Saturday. He did not elaborate. Nassar al-Rubaie, head of Sairoon's political committee, decried the attack in televised remarks and called for an emergency parliamentary session to discuss the violence in Khilani Square.

Friday's attacks had many protesters on edge.

Mohamed, a protester who only provided his first name for fear of reprisal, said when he arrived at the square Friday night after receiving a call from distressed protesters, he saw groups of masked men wielding knives near the protesters' command post at the parking garage.

Twenty minutes later, he said, four white pickup trucks arrived from the direction of Abdul-Qadir Gilani mosque, adjacent to Khilani square, without license plates and carrying armed men wearing ski masks.

"They fired at us, and we ran," he said, noting that the electricity went off moments before. The armed men positioned themselves on the top floor of the parking garage and started shooting at the demonstrators below, said Mohamed, whose version of events was corroborated by a half-dozen other protesters. The shooting lasted for at least three hours, he said.

The attacks claimed the lives of 22 protesters and three policemen, officials said. Iraqi security forces were deployed to streets leading to the square early Saturday.

Some protesters accused the government of colluding with the masked gunmen, pointing to the power outage that happened around the same time as the attacks.

But a senior Electricity Ministry official, who requested anonymity in line with regulations, denied the allegation. The official said it would have been easy for anyone to cut the power lines.

The post Iran to unveil new generation of enrichment centrifuges soon appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.