Talk for a renewed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in Vienna resume despite heightened tensions

Talks for an Iranian nuclear deal recommenced on Thursday afternoon in Vienna after a cyberattack at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility last Sunday.

A day before the cyberattack, Iran presented its new advanced centrifuges for uranium enrichment in Natanz. Centrifuges are the devices needed to utilise uranium for reactor fuel as well as nuclear weapons.

Ali Akbar Salehi, Head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, described the cyberattack as an act of ‘sabotage’, accusing Israel as being perpetrators of the attack. Israel has previously been accused of similar attacks since June 2020, including another explosion at Natanz.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, later released an official statement describing his nation’s struggle against Iran as a ‘huge mission’, but refrained from confirming responsibility. Many news sources including the New York Times and the Guardian cite unnamed Israeli intelligence officials as confirming Israeli responsibility for the attack.

For Israel, the attack comes amidst the country’s recent fourth election in two years. Netanyahu has struggled to form a strong government and his recent stance against Iran is viewed as an appeal to potential political allies to unite against the existential threats posed by Iran.  

The United States released an official statement rejecting involvement or knowledge of the attack, without involving any condemnation of it. The incident in Natanz came as the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz. Israel has continued to oppose the revival of an Iranian nuclear deal, which poses challenges for the Biden administration’s efforts to reverse Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018.

Iran has vowed revenge for the attack, although it has not yet taken action against Israel after any incident since last June. Nevertheless, Iran has retaliated through an announcement on Thursday stating that it would increase uranium enrichment to 60%, its highest levels ever. The 2015 nuclear deal had limited the enrichment levels of Iran's nuclear programme to 3.67%.

Ultimately, despite calls by Iranian lawmakers to suspend the talks in Vienna, negotiations have moved forward. Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director at the International Crisis Group, underlined the urgency of successful discussions, stating that the ‘status quo is a lose-lose situation’. The Iranian government’s enrichment announcement on Tuesday indicated, however, that talks will remain largely stagnant for the near future. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom jointly expressed ‘grave concerns’ over Iran’s enrichment decision.

It is predicted that the future of the Iranian nuclear deal will only become clear after Iran heads to elections in June 2021, where voters will determine the successor to President Hassan Rouhani.