Nuclear sites ‘fully safe’: Iran plays down ‘Israeli drone attack’

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, April 19

Iranian troops activated air defences around a major air base and a nuclear site in the Persian heartland of Isfahan early on Friday morning bringing down three drones but no official in Tehran acknowledged the possibility of Israel having launched the attack.

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Israel also did not comment on social media handles reporting loud explosions near Isfahan which, however, briefly spooked the stock markets in India and sent gold and silver, known as safe haven assets, to record highs. Air India also announced suspension of flights to Tel Aviv till April 30 on grounds of safety.

Coincides with Khamenei’s 85th birthday

• American broadcast networks, quoting unnamed US officials, said Israel carried out the attack
• The New York Times quoted anonymous Israeli officials claiming the assault
• Israeli leaders also made comments hinting that the country had launched the attack on Iran
• The attack came on Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 85th birthday

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said at a G7 meeting that the US had received “last-minute” information from Israel about the attack. However, American officials declined to go on record about the attack with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stating, “I’m not going to speak to that, except to say that the US has not been involved in any offensive operation.” The air space was closed for over four hours and reopened towards noon following the attack which came on Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 85th birthday.

Iranian army commander Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi said air defence crews targeted several flying objects which, he claimed, did not cause any damage. An Iranian news outlet, Tasnim, said its reporter was near the uranium conversion facility near Isfahan where he heard gunshots at dawn. Iranian state television declared all atomic sites as “fully safe”. It was corroborated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which said “there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites” and reiterated that “nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts”.

Analysts said the smallish attack and the playing down of the incident by Iran suggested successful diplomacy in preventing an all-out clash. Most Iranian state-owned media houses did not name Israel and said the attack was by “infiltrators”.

However, the upward trend in precious metal prices showed there was the apprehension of a regional war breaking out. Gold touched an all-time record of Rs 74,000 per 10 gm and silver also followed a similar trend, touching Rs 86,600 per kg. The stock markets fell sharply in early trade but recovered to post gains after it was apparent that there would be no immediate Iranian retaliation.

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