Qatar strongly condemns attack on nuclear facility in Iran

Doha: The State of Qatar expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the attack on the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran and considered it a dangerous act of sabotage that would increase tension and negatively affect the security and stability of the region.

In a statement today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the State of Qatar's full support for the course of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme to reach a comprehensive settlement satisfactory to all parties.

The attack Sunday at Natanz comes as world powers try to negotiate a return by Iran and the U.S. to Tehran's atomic accord. The sabotage threatens to upend those negotiations and further heighten regional tensions across the Mideast.

The incident at Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday was caused by an act of "nuclear terrorism", the country's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said, according to state TV, adding that Tehran reserves the right to take action against the perpetrators.

Earlier on Sunday, the spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) had said that a problem with the electrical distribution grid of the Natanz site had caused an incident, Iranian media reported.

The spokesman, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said the incident caused no casualties or contamination. Iranian media later reported that Kamalvandi had an accident while visiting the Natanz site, "suffering a broken head and leg". The reports did not elaborate on the cause of the accident.

The facility, located in the desert in the central province of Isfahan, is the centrepiece of Iran's uranium enrichment programme and is monitored by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.

Asked about what had occurred, an IAEA spokesman said by email, "We are aware of the media reports. We have no comment at this stage."