Iran Announces Thwarting Attack on ‘Sensitive’ Center in Isfahan

The Natanz nuclear facilities in Isfahan were targeted by two major sabotage attacks in 2020 and 2021 (Reuters)
The Natanz nuclear facilities in Isfahan were targeted by two major sabotage attacks in 2020 and 2021 (Reuters)
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Iran Announces Thwarting Attack on ‘Sensitive’ Center in Isfahan

The Natanz nuclear facilities in Isfahan were targeted by two major sabotage attacks in 2020 and 2021 (Reuters)
The Natanz nuclear facilities in Isfahan were targeted by two major sabotage attacks in 2020 and 2021 (Reuters)

An arrested Israeli spy network had plans to explode one of the “sensitive” centers in Iran's central Isfahan province, revealed Iran’s Supreme National Security Council a few hours after a similar statement by the cleric-led country’s Intelligence Ministry.

In a short statement on Saturday night, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said that it had arrested elements of a spy network that entered Iran months ago under the guidance of the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, through the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

The spies allegedly identified one of the country’s “sensitive” centers in Isfahan province with plans to destroy it.

“This network's members were in contact with (Israel's) Mossad spy agency through a neighboring country and entered Iran from (Iraq's) Kurdistan region with advanced equipment and strong explosives,” the ministry said in a statement carried by state media.

“Members of the network employed cutting edge operational and communications equipment and powerful explosives and wanted to conduct an unprecedented sabotage and terrorist operation in some pre-determined sensitive areas and targets,” it added.

The ministry did not give further details.

On Sunday, Nournews, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the arrested group was on its way to blow up an unspecified “sensitive center” in Isfahan, which among other things houses the country’s main nuclear facilities.

The Natanz nuclear facilities in Isfahan were targeted by two major sabotage attacks in 2020 and 2021.

“The blow to this network was realized as a result of one of the most complicated operations of Iran’s intelligence apparatus inside or outside the country,” the outlet said.

According to Nournews, the group had trained in an unnamed African country for months, where its members simulated the operation.

They had already planted high-impact explosives and were only hours away from carrying out the final operation when they were arrested, it said.

The intelligence ministry’s announcement came two days after the London-based ‘Iran International’ released an exclusive report.

The July 21 report said that Israel’s Mossad had captured a senior Revolutionary Guard official on Iranian soil and interrogated him about weapons shipments to Iran’s proxies in the region. After the interrogation the man was released.

Iran International had obtained video of the interrogation showing a man introducing himself as Yadollah Khedmati, deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) Logistics, says he regrets his involvement in shipping weapons to Iran’s proxy groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen and urges other IRGC officials to avoid engagement in such activities.

Iranian government media on Saturday confirmed the report, saying that criminal elements had indeed detained the IRGC officer.

Since mid-2020 a series of high-profile mysterious attacks hit Iran’s nuclear and military installations around the country, widely believed to have been Israeli sabotage operations.

In November 2020, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a key figure in Iran’s controversial nuclear program was assassinated in a complex operation on the outskirts of Tehran.

In May, several IRGC officials were killed or died in suspicious circumstances, prompting Tehran to blame Israel, which has never officially taken credit for these operations.



‘Bad Day:’ Trump Reflects on Assassination Bid One Year Later

Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AFP)
Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AFP)
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‘Bad Day:’ Trump Reflects on Assassination Bid One Year Later

Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AFP)
Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump says "mistakes were made" but he's satisfied with the investigation into his near-assassination a year ago, as the Secret Service announced disciplinary actions Thursday against six staff members.

In excerpts of an interview on Fox News' "My View with Lara Trump" show, airing Saturday, Trump, 79, said the elite close-protection service "had a bad day."

"There were mistakes made. And that shouldn't have happened," Trump said in the interview conducted by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who has her own show on the Trump-friendly news channel.

The Republican -- whose ear was nicked by a bullet while he addressed an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania -- noted that the would-be assassin had access to a "prime building" overlooking the rally.

One bystander was killed and two other people in addition to Trump were wounded before a counter-sniper killed the gunman -- 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.

The sniper "was able to get him from a long distance with one shot. If he didn't do that, you would have had an even worse situation," Trump said. "His name is David and he did a fantastic job."

Speaking of the post-incident investigation and "the larger plot," Trump said "I'm satisfied with it."

"It was unforgettable," he said, recalling the drama. "I didn't know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There's no question about that. And fortunately, I got down quickly. People were screaming."

The Secret Service said in a statement that the July 13, 2024, attack was "nothing short of a tragedy" and "an operational failure that the Secret Service will carry as a reminder of the critical importance of its zero-fail mission."

The agency cited communication, technical and human errors and said reforms were underway, including on coordination between different law enforcement bodies and establishment of a division dedicated to aerial surveillance.

Six unidentified staff have been disciplined, the Secret Service said. The punishments range from 10 to 42 days suspension without pay and all six were put into restricted or non-operational positions.

Among measures beefing up security, is an expansion of the fleet of armored golf carts to carry the president. Trump spends frequent weekends at his golf courses and in September last year was allegedly the target of a failed assassination plot while playing in Florida.

"The agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future," Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement.